


New Nightmares

by SisterToTheSilverSnitch



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: BAMF Harry Potter, BAMF Sebastian Castellanos, Blood and Gore, Death, Does that even really need a tag, Don't think I'll make it a paring though, Harry has a bit of a crush on Sebastian, Insanity, Light Angst, Monsters, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ruvik being a creep
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-04-20 21:15:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14269686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SisterToTheSilverSnitch/pseuds/SisterToTheSilverSnitch
Summary: With the numbers of magical children coming up missing, or dead, Harry Potter is asked to step in and investigate the prime suspect; Beacon's Mental Hospital. Unfortunately for Harry, nothing ever comes easy. Maybe a patient with the familiarity of a Malfoy named, Leslie Withers, could help in figuring out what is really going on behind the white walls. But Darkness and monster in a white coat has dragged Harry into something deadly and haunting. Now with Detectives Sebastian Castellanos and Joseph Oda, they must fight and rip their way through a decrepit hell in order to make it out alive.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, I had this story swimming in my head for months and now I finally took the time to get it started. I can't post too often but will try to be consistent with the chapters. My grammar kinda sucks so sorry if there are a few mistakes that I might of missed, let me know and I'll fix them as fast as I can.

 Crisp paper airplanes flew over Harry's head while he swiftly walked through the hallways of the Ministry, heading straight to the Head Auror's office. Harry had received a troubling letter earlier that morning while sipping his tea which informed him that his presence was needed as soon as possible. Not much was written other than lives were at risk if Harry didn't accept the plea for help. Not liking being demanded like a well, polished toy, Harry told the Head Auror to bugger off and to send off his own to do their damn jobs and quit summoning him whenever they seem to please. The response to that was quick and near threatening, which caused Harry to storm through said halls now, an angry twitch in his fingers and dark brow. Harry's hair, now neatly trimmed to fall comfortably around his face, flew around like a dark halo and green eyes were no longer obscured by hideous, thick frames but were free to enchant those around him.

   Harry's temper was something to fear in the Wizarding World. Not the kind of temper that causes people to loose all rationality but the kind that was strong and very much controlled, it was more dangerous to those who brought it upon the people. Everyone that came into sights of the infamous Boy-Who-Lived, Vanquisher-Of-The-Dark-Lord, etc,  were quick to move out of his way and prepare for a possible explosion. Not that such extremes happened often when Harry Potter got very upset but when it did happen, the staff of the Ministry would take days to clean up the aftermath; it's just easier to prepare for the worst just in case.

  As the young man made his way up to the heavy door with the words, Head Auror's Office, tacked to the wood, Harry gave three sharp knocks and waited for an answer. "Come in!" 

  Harry sucked in a breath of air to calm himself before opening the door and immediately closing it behind himself. "You have some nerve to send me that fuckin' post." The man behind the desk snapped his head up and cringed at Harry's tone. "Do you have any fuckin' idea what it's like to have thousands of people clawing their way up my arse to become some Bloody god? And you dare tell me that these lives are going to be on me! Fuck you very much, Proudfoot." 

  The Auror groaned and rubbed the dark bags under his eyes. "I know it was fucked up, Potter, but I had no choice. It was the only way I knew you would come down here, we really need your help on this case." Harry crossed his arms and straightened his spine, his green eyes narrowing on the older man. It really came no surprise to him that Proudfoot would go to extreme measures to get what he wanted. The thing was he only took such measures when it was absolutely needed; with that in mind, Harry decided to hear him out. Proudfoot reached for a folder hidden under a larger stack of papers and handed it over to Harry. "Remember the Protection of Muggleborn Children act you instigated a couple of years ago?"

  As a matter of fact, Harry did. This act specifically went to regularly monitoring and protecting muggleborn kids who could be in unsafe homes with whoever they live with. It was something Harry had completely dedicated his time and effort to, memories from his cruel family, and even Riddle's upbringing, motivated Harry to help kids who were unsafe and had nowhere to turn to. As Harry reached for the folder he shifted to take a seat in front of the desk. "Yeah, I remember that very well. Everyone loved the idea and we even had the large number of adoptions break record. To be honest I didn't even there was a record. Anyway," Harry leaned back and waved the thick stack in his hand, "What is this all about then? As far as I'm concerned, there have been no problems whatsoever."

  "And you would be correct. But we didn't take in account of the abandoned children." With a flick of a wrist, Proudfoot locked the door, placed a few charms, and leaned over the desk to give Harry his complete attention. 

  "Abandoned? You mean a few runaways?"

  "No, I mean kids who were put away because their homes, from parents to guardians, had feared their magic. Some families thought their children were insane for claiming they could do magical things." The man sneered and scratched at his chin. "In the last four or so months we were getting notifications from our Aurors who were stationed to certain families came up empty. No kids and the families even more broken than when they leave the homes."

  Harry cocked his head, processing everything that was being told to him. "You're saying people are dumping their kids off to mental hospitals? That is still happening in this day and age?"

  Proudfoot nodded. "Yeah, and that's not all. So my men and women get the information to the hospital that most of these children are taken to and. . .well they came up empty, again."

  "Empty?" Harry then opened the folder and the first page read, Beacon Mental Hospital, in bold print. "Were documents misplaced? Escapees maybe?"

  "Ha, that would've been easier. No, the children are all dead."

  Harry paused as he was flipping through the many pages. "Dead? All of them?" Anger swelled in him once again. "Then why the hell am I here?"

  The older man pointed to the folder in Harry's lap. "Look through that a bit more, I got time." That was a big lie but Harry didn't say anything about it and began to look through the pages again. Most of the kids were taken many years ago, they were almost as old as he was, some still in their late teens. As he flipped through the photos of the missing kids one picture caught his eye. "Noticed him too huh?"

  A pale boy with very light colored hair and silver eyes stared back at Harry with a unfocused gaze, slightly slouched posture. "This kid. . .Leslie Withers? He looks just like a Malfoy." Harry lifted his head to the Auror with a steady gaze. "What are you getting at? Just be straight with me, Proudfoot."

  He nodded and took a deep breath. "We are almost sure this is a Malfoy, unfortunately we can't confirm it until we match Leslie's and Draco Malfoy's blood. We suspect that he is not the only kid to be abandoned by the Pureblood families. We have children being dumped for having magic and for not having magic in this one hospital. Beacon."

  "Why?" Harry had to ask. Why this hospital? And a place in the States as well. 

  "We can only speculate but that's why I need you your help. These people were abandoned right towards the end of the war. A mental hospital is a perfect place to hide dirty little secrets, unfortunately. Leslie is one of the only kids alive that we could get some information from; you're good with kids." Proudfoot paused to let Harry soak it up. "I think something else is going on, all of these magical children, muggleborn and possible squibs, are being thrown into one place specific. That is not a coincidence."

  Harry couldn't argue with that. "I'm getting that feeling too." His eyes focused back at the pale boy before snapping the folder shut. "Alright, so I go? What do you need me to do that your own Aurors couldn't do?"

  "I had already sent them out to originally investigate, that's how we got this information now. But the staff and doctors are too familiar with the Aurors now for them to dig deeper. Your face is new, you're good with kids. And quite frankly, you tend to have better luck than most." Proudfoot met Harry's eyes. "I know we can't save the lives already lost but what we can do is get justice for them and for our world. It's another step to right the wrongs that was brought up our world."

  He really couldn't fault that logic. "Okay, so what would be the game plan be then? I won't be able to just walk through there, even I'm not that good."

  Proudfoot smiled. "I have a plan already set out. Had to use a muggle phone for a first time in years," he shivered dramatically. "They are still bizarre. Anyway, I got a hold of the captain of the local authority and gave them the basic info. You'll be playing as a special investigator for a few linking missing persons cases that connects to the Beacon Hospital. They are going to pair you up with a couple of their bests to help. A little back up could come in handy." Harry agreed. "I have a  portkey set up to send you over when you're all packed and ready."

     It sounded simple enough for the young man. But if Harry was aware of a few things in his life it was that he tended to be about as lucky as he was unlucky. Most of the time causing him more work then is really needed.

  "So jump over the big pond, meet up with a few muggles, search the hospital for secrets. . .then what? It's never that simple." He pointed out.

  The Auror rumbled in agreement. "Too true, but no it's more than that. We think you'll mostly be gone for a few weeks at least. It's definitely not going to be a in-and-out job and be home for dinner. Another reason to send you out."

  "I'm not even an Auror anymore, Proudfoot. There's a reason I left here." The pressure, the constant attack at his performance;  Harry couldn't handle it anymore.

  "I know, but just take this one case. I have nobody else I could send and this could really open the eyes of the public of what's really going on outside our tiny world. It could encourage others to take action and fuckin' help more. If nothing else, it'll make you look good."

  Green eyes rolled at Proudfoot. "You know more than most that I don't give two fucks about that." Both chuckled. Harry casted a glance to his full hands and took a second to think it over. There really was no one else that could take the case, and the deaths of their people, the forgotten children, could not be brushed over. Harry already knew what his answer was going to be. "Alright, I'll take the job. When do I need to leave?"

  The older man gave a subtle sigh of relief and reached behind himself to a shelf and pulled out a leather wallet. "This is the portkey, all of the information is already inside. Pack anything and everything you think you might need. This is a mental hospital, we don't know what the patients, or doctors, could try to do to you. Keep the folder with you, it has all the information we could gather, it's up to you to get everything else. The activation of the portkey is hospital." Harry gave Proudfoot a disappointed stare. "What, you know I'm not cleaver enough for that bullshite. Anyway, I expect regular updates. Keep in touch if something happens, you know the drill. They are expecting you tomorrow morning."

  Harry nodded and collected everything. "Don't expect this to be a regular thing. I'll let you know what I know as soon as I can. Is that all?"

  "For now, yes. Good luck Potter, and be careful for Merlin's sake." Harry chuckled and left the office, heading for the floo network. An hour later and Harry was home in his comfy apartment. It had two rooms and two baths, perfect for him and Teddy when he spends some of his weekends with Harry. His grandmother wanted Teddy to stay with her since Harry was still very young when Teddy lost his parents. Harry had agreed on the condition that when Harry was able to have Teddy over and stay then he would at least get weekends with the growing boy. The agreement was simple and both sides were happy.    

  He was going to have to let Andromeda know that he'll be gone for awhile, Ron and Hermione as well. For the next few hours, Harry spent time collecting stocks of potions and pulling out his old Auror uniform. It was dark red and paired up with dragon hide leather that was both comfortable and, admittedly, sexy on Harry. Once he double and tripled checked everything he could need, Harry grabbed a small bag with the extension charm and packed everything away. By now it was well into the evening and he made his way to the fireplace to make the calls.

  Harmless, green fire brushed Harry's face as he poked his head in and call for Andromeda. "Hello, Andy?" Moments later the older but still beautiful woman strolled in.

  "Harry, dear, is something wrong?" Her face pinched with the slightest bit of worry.

  It really did warm his heart. "No, no. Sorry to be call you unexpectedly but Proudfoot had called in a favor and so I'll be leaving the country for a few weeks at least. I just wanted to let you know and say bye to the both of you."

  Andy smiled as she knelt down to the fireplace. "Still doing good I see. Thank you for letting me know." She leaned over and called for Teddy. "Teddy! Uncle Harry wants to talk to you!" It took no time for the thunderous sounds of tiny feet to come running from wherever he was to the fireplace.

  "Hi Uncle Harry!" Harry smiled at the happy child who was no more than five. "How are you? What are you doing? Are you coming over? I want to come over soon." His hair rapidly changing from teal to black then yellow with excitement. 

  Harry chuckled and gently shushed the excited boy. "Hold on, Teddy. I'm doing well but listen buddy. I need to be going away tomorrow and will be gone for a little while." The boy's face instantly fell and Harry internally cringed at the sad puppy face he gives so well. "I know and I'm sorry but I got help some people out. I'll send some letters and bring you back something special, okay?"

  Teddy nodded his head, perking up a bit at a possible gift. "Okay, Uncle Harry. Bye, bye. Love you!"

  A large smile broke over Harry's face. "Love you too bud." Teddy, happy again, went off to go back to what he was doing previously. Turning to Andy Harry became a bit more serious. "This won't be a pretty case, please don't ask."

  The older woman hummed before giving an understanding nod. "Just be safe Harry. Come back to your family, promise?"

  "I promise." They ended the call not long after then Harry took a moment to collect himself before calling Hermione. Bother her and Ron were shocked at the news he was leaving but understood that Proudfoot had respected Harry's decision to leave the Aurors so for him to ask help from Harry meant business. The call was short and warm as Harry said his goodnights to both Hugo and Rose before saying his goodbyes to Ron and Hermione, promising to have dinner with them as soon as he comes back.

  With nothing else to do Harry made a light dinner of Molly's leftovers and got ready for bed. Harry began wondering about what to expect with the hospital and the muggles he's going to be working with tomorrow. It wasn't long after that he fell into a easy sleep.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the numbers of magical children coming up missing, or dead, Harry Potter is asked to step in and investigate the prime suspect; Beacon's Mental Hospital. Unfortunately for Harry, nothing ever comes easy. Maybe a patient with the familiarity of a Malfoy named, Leslie Withers, could help in figuring out what is really going on behind the white walls. But Darkness and monster in a white coat has dragged Harry into something deadly and haunting. Now with Detectives Sebastian Castellanos and Joseph Oda, they must fight and rip their way through a decrepit hell in order to make it out alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't expect me to update this fast, I was in a writing mood. I'm going to try and keep the chapters as similar to the game as I can, some of the game's chapters are longer than others so expect multiple chapters or shorter one.

  The cool morning graced Harry as he woke up and let out a big yawn. He relished these mornings now he no longer was forced to cook and clean first thing every morning. As Harry rose from his bed, he picked up the portkey and opened it before moving towards the bathroom. Inside was an I.D. of Harry's basic information, a badge engraved Private Investigator, some cash, and a folded note. The note read that the portkey will take him to an alley next to a coffee shop two blocks from the hospital and that he would be meeting with the detectives at Beacon 10 a.m. sharp. With that in mind, Harry did his morning business, made toast and tea, then proceeded to study the information Proudfoot gave him yesterday. 

  Most of the information was basic history of how long Beacon had been around, who currently works there and as many patients the Aurors could get. Towards the end was a picture of a older man, a bit rugged but still good looking Harry couldn't help but notice. Harry considered himself bisexual but never cared much about putting a label on his sexuality, all he knew was he liked his girls soft and willing and his men big and strong. This man was a teenage girl's wet dream for sure.

  "Sebastian Castellanos, KCPD Detective? Age 38, still looking good there Seb. Had a wife and daughter. Had?" Harry ran his fingers through his hair and took a sip from his tea. "Got a story do you, Sebastian? Don't we all. Says you're a drinker and a smoker but it doesn't seem to affect your work, that's impressive. Loyal to a fault and cares for the people in his city. Sounds like we can get along fine." The next photo was a younger man with glasses and his hair slicked back. "Joseph Oda, also a KCPD Detective. Age 33, really? Damn." The man looked younger than that but probably because Harry had just seen Sebastian's photo first. "Let's see, a frequent note taker, smart, calculating. I should probably be careful around him. The first guy is more of brute strength but Joseph seems to be more of the critical eye. If I don't want my cover blown I'll have to be extra careful not to use any kind of magic around him."

  Other information was limited to what the Aurors could figure out so it wasn't much help. Harry was prepared for that and understood the mission was going to take time and patience to figure out the hospital's dirty secrets. With a glance to the clock, Harry noted it was ten to nine and got up to finish getting dressed, taking the wallet with him. With his hair brushed back, contacts in, and his old uniform fitting him like a glove, Harry grabbed his bag and the folder of information and left the apartment. Harry took a deep breath and grabbed the wallet, preparing for the light feeling of the portkey. He was much more use to it now but Harry was never good on his feet and still sometimes tripped over himself.

  Making sure nobody else was close by, Harry activated the portkey. "Hospital."   

 

* * *

 

 

  Air rushed around him as he landed and carefully braced himself as he landed on his feet. Harry took a quick glance around and saw that he was alone and where he was suppose to be. Once he felt ready, Harry pulled out his wand and whispered a spell to show him the way to Beacon. It pointed to his right so he took off and made his way down the sidewalk. The air here wasn't as clean but the day still seemed nice, even if it was sprinkling. London could get a lot worse than this, Harry figured. Minutes later and five to ten, Harry reached the Hospital only to see multiple patrol cars parked outside but with no one in sight. "What the hell?" Harry asked himself then broke into a jog to reach the gates faster.

  Harry called out for anyone but got no answer, nothing good could come from that. He debated on just walking in, alone or not he could protect himself, but there was the fact that he was expected to meet the two detectives soon. It was probably better to head inside together anyway. It seemed that Harry didn't have to wait that long since he heard another patrol car pull up and stop not far from him. Through the windshield Harry could recognize Sebastian Castellanos almost immediately, though he didn't know who the driver was. All doors opened opened except for the driver and three figures walked up to Harry. The extra person was a woman with shoulder-length, dark hair and a very serious look on her face. Her information wasn't in the folder and Harry wasn't completely sure how to handle another muggle.

  The group walked over to Harry with Sebastian in the lead. He gave Harry a calculating glance and held out his hand. "I'm Detective Sebastian Castellanos, this is my partner Detective Joseph Oda and Junior Detective Juli Kidman. You must be the Private Investigator." Harry took the hand and gave a firm shake, noting the callouses on his hand.

  "Nice to meet you, yes I'm Harry Potter. I just got here when I noticed to commotion," green eyes glanced around to the near empty lot, "or lack of to be correct." It was very strange that nobody was guarding the front, that never spelled something good in a situation like this.

  Sebastian gave a crooked smile. "Noticed that too huh? We got called on the way here, sorry about the events so far. And, uh, welcome to America." His greeting is kind and it made the situation a bit more comfortable for Harry.

  "Thank you, Detective. Since this is out of my jurisdiction I'll follow your lead." That got Harry a smile, the unsaid words being that Harry wasn't here to boss the man around especially since this wasn't his city, home, or even area of experience, supposedly.

  The detective turned back to the car. "Connelly, contact Dispatch and let them know what's happening. Joseph, Potter, Kidman you're with me. We're going to have a look around." Everyone agreed and followed Sebastian through the gates and around the large fountain. The rain was falling faster, Harry noticed as he trailed behind the other men, Kidman behind himself. Once we got to the doors and Sebastian opened them they were all hit was a hard smell of fresh blood instantly.

  "Smells like blood." Joseph pointed out.

  "Alright stay sharp." The three pulled out their weapons and Harry internally prepared for a possible fight. "We're going to check it out. Don't let anyone else through this door." Sebastian said to Kidman and Harry, like that was really gonna happen.

  Kidman seemed to disagree as well. "I can be an extra set of eyes."

  "We don't know what's happening here. You're our backup." He countered. 

  Harry shook his head, there was no way he could be left behind now of all times. "I have medical training, I can be of help if their are survives." Whiskey eyes met green and the older man sighed.

  "Alright, but stay close to me." Harry nodded and made sure to mentally prepare himself as they both stepped through the doorway. Bodies were on the floor and benches, blood already staining the white floor in bright crimson. Pushing away the clogging smell Harry followed Sebastian's lead while glancing to every body seeing if there was even a single whisper of life left.

  "It's like they died were they were, all of them. That's not possible." Harry whispered to himself.

  "Why would you say that?" Asked the detective.

  "These wounds were made by a knife, I can see that from here. Nobody is fast enough to kill everyone in their seat and not start a panic." 

  They both shared a look and moved deeper into the lobby, Joseph just up ahead. There was a loud bang and Joseph glanced at us. "Did you hear something?" We nodded and he went up ahead further. Joseph entered a room then called back to us. "Someone's alive in here. . ." We sprinted to follow and stepped into the smaller room.

  A man in a white coat, Doctor Jimenez, if Harry remembered correctly, was leaning against the wall. Sebastian and Harry knelt down to his sides and Harry instantly began searching for wounds or damage. "Are you injured? What happened here?" Sebastian began asking. Harry could see no blood but he was sure the man was most likely thrown and hit his head.

  ". . .can't be real. . ." The doctor mumbled. ". . .impossible. . .Ruvik is. . ." Harry glanced to both detectives.

  "He's got a small bump on his head, most likely concussion. He's also probably in shock." 

  Joseph got down as well. "I've got him. The security cameras might tell us something." Silently agreeing it was a good idea, Sebastian got up and walked to the screens on the other end of the room. Harry moved to stand and went back to the doorway, seeing if anyone else could possibly be alive.

  Harry heard Sebastian whisper something so he turned back around, coming face to face with a silver of a dagger before everything blacked out. 

 

* * *

 

 

   Cold

   Everything was cold.

   Stale. It smelled stale too.

   "Constant vigilance, Potter!"

   Huh?

   "Have I taught you nothing?! Constant vigilance!"

   I know that Moody.

   "Then get you're arse up now or you're gonna die!"

   Die, I don't want to die. 

  Awareness seamed to wash over Harry, fingers twitching and an itch on his cheek reminded him to move but found that he couldn't. Finally forcing his eyes open he could see only with the limited light from a small window. His arms and legs were locked down on an old hospital bed with thick leather straps. The room's walls were rotting and mold seemed to spread over everything and anything it could reach. Seconds later Harry instantly began to struggle, searching for weak points in the straps while his eyes continued to look around for anything that could be useful.

  After a while with no success and sore wrists, Harry groaned and cursed himself for getting into this mess. How did that person he the jump on him? He didn't hear anything besides Sebastian.

  . . .oh shite.

  "Sebastian, Joseph. Shite! I hope they'er okay." Harry's eyes darted down to his left sleeve and felt to see if his wand was still there. A few rubs from the leather holster and slight poke from his wand gave him his answer. With an idea formed, Harry began to shuffle his arm against his body and the strap, pushing his wand up enough for his fingers to lightly grab the end of the handle. Several awkward twists and some rubbing burns later, Harry now had his wand. He quickly slashed the leather and moved to get up, pausing when a weird sound and screams were drifting from the hall outside. His anxiety rose and Harry hurry to collect himself and march to the door.

  As he threw it opened he immediately spotted Sebastian limping towards him. "Potter, You're alive."

  Harry shook his head, baffled at the amount of blood that was caking the detective. "Yeah, I-"

  He was interrupted by the door the detective came through being kicked open and a large man with a fucking chainsaw bursting through. The new figure roared at them and the two ran away from the horrifying creature. Wheelchairs and a bed were blocking their paths but Harry took quick action and used his magic to pushed them away and threw them back at the stalking beast. Sebastian was hurting very bad in his leg, Harry could see. Luck seemed to be on their side as the doors of an elevator opened for them. Harry pushed Sebastian forward and followed soon after just as the blades of the deadly weapon nearly brushed against the back of his dragon hide coat.

  The ugly creature roared again in frustration, slamming the bars with it's chainsaw before the elevator clicked to life and lifted up. The detective behind Harry quickly gathered his breath and rested against the far wall. "Are you alright?" Harry asked, leaning down to look at his leg that seemed to be already healing. What the hell?

  "Yeah," he breathed, "I-I just need to rest for a moment." The younger man nodded and sat next to Sebastian, watching as he tried to open a pack of fags, realizing they were soaked, and then threw them to the other side of the tiny room. "Fuck, what was that thing?"

  "I don't know, we need to take you to a hospital and find the others." 

  Silence filled the area around them for a moment until Sebastian broke it. "So, you want to tell me what fuck that was all about back there?" Harry, not understanding what the man was implying he just raised a brow and cocked his head in confusion. "Don't give me that look. The flying wheelchairs. There is no way a tiny guy like you could grab each one and throw with enough force to push that freak back, especially with not even touching them."

  Oh. . .oh, shite. That's right. "Well, it's a bit hard to explain at the moment. And really, you shouldn't have seen that at all." He paused, staring at the injured man and rubbed the back of his head. "And I'm not that tiny dammit."

  "You're a head shorter than me."

  "Fuck you, you're freakishly tall." He retorted and the other man barked out a laugh. The elevator suddenly stopped with a small jerk and the doors opened to a much brighter hallway. "Here, let me help you up." Harry got up and held out a hand for the detective. Sebastian took a breath and accepted Harry's hand, pushing the slight pain in his leg down as he stood up. They both glanced down at his wound before stepping out and down the hallway. 

  A few lifeless bodies stretched over the tile floor, the sight making Harry shiver. After they passed a few windows the ground started to suddenly shake violently, forcing the two to stumble and away on their feet. Dust clouded the air before settling. "Come on!" The detective yelled and began running, Harry following very close by with another shake from the ground. They made their way through the bloody lobby and pushed opened the front door, stopping dead in their tracks at the sight before them.

  Multiple buildings were on fire, the sky painted with dark smoke and the air heavy with the scent of death. A familiar scent to Harry. When the ground shook again a skyscraper crumbled before collapsing on it's side. "What the bloody hell is going on?"

  The other man shook his head, equally as baffled as Harry was. "I don't know." A whirling sound caught their attention and they trotted down the steps while an ambulance drove backwards towards them. "Detective! Get in! Get in!" The voice coming from the driver that Harry recognized from the police car earlier.

  Harry turned to the other man, "Jump in front I'll go in back." Sebastian nodded and they ran at full speed towards the box vehicle. Harry had to pause when the ground began to fall beneath him and force himself to not think but react, jumping forward and grabbing the corner of the ambulance and opening the back door just as it began driving off. Once inside Harry noted the woman, Kidman and the doctor Jimenez were also inside. And to Harry's surprise, Leslie Withers, but where was the other detective?

  He moved up to sit near the tiny window connecting to the front. "We're missing someone." The wizard remarked.

  Sebastian, hearing Harry, took a quick glance in back. "Hey, where's Joseph?"

  The driver shook his head. "Man, I'm sorry but he never came out. I'd waited but. . ." Enough was said, they lost one already.

  Jimenez held onto Leslie while they had a ride of their lives. "Please settle down, Leslie." Said boy proceeded to repeat what the doctor said over to himself, making himself calm down.

  Noticing his chance, Harry carefully moved over to sit in front of the pale boy and took his clasp hands in his own. "Hello, Leslie. I'm Harry." Before Harry could speak anymore the rear of the vehicle shot up, forcing Harry to float a bit then landing hard back on the floor. "Shite! That's going to bruise." Deciding it was much better trying to keep the ambulance on the ground, Harry moved back up to get a better look outside and opened the window. He popped his head through and grimaced at the destruction they were driving through. "Proudfoot, you owe me an all expense paid vacation after this, you wanker." Sebastian looked over to Harry but didn't say anything, probably thinking something similar to himself.

  A red crane fell from the sky right next to them, forcing the driver to make a hard shift to the left and onto the sidewalk and turned down to the next street. Taking the chance they had, they began to relax and calm themselves. But Harry saw what was coming. "Fuck, Hold on!" A large portion of the earth was shifting and if they didn't drive faster they were going to go through the moving building. "Floor it!" Harry watched the moving building as they drew near and could see his own reflection as they pass right by it and kept going.

  They kept driving without much more problems so Harry moved back and sat in front of Leslie again. Not bothering to talk but to keep the boy company and hopefully calm him down more. He could hear the detective and the driver talking to himself and Kidman seemed to keep to herself more than anything so he didn't bother trying to talk to her. 

  "Everyone alright back there?" They heard over a speaker.

  "Just a few bumps. We're fine." Kidman answered. 

  Jimenez turned towards the front. "We will be fine once we're far away. . ." Harry didn't think that was very true. Nobody could be fine after that, especially after what Sebastian and Harry had seen back at Beacon. Leslie whispered to himself softly, comfortable that the boy was more in control, Harry got up and moved up front.

  Then the boy began shouting, "Fall! Fall!" The ambulance swerved right and left, forcing Harry to knock his face into the wall. Once recovered he went through the window and was dumbfounded to see the driver in a rapid state of decay. He wheezed and rolled his head back and forth, dead eyes seeing nothing.

  Harry glanced up and flinched at the blinding light just ahead of them. "Look out! Sebastian!" He shouted only seconds before they flew over the edge. For brief moment, they were all weightless, almost flying. Harry pushed himself more into the front and tried to whip up a quick spell but darkness had suddenly taken over again, feeling and hearing nothing just like before.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the numbers of magical children coming up missing, or dead, Harry Potter is asked to step in and investigate the prime suspect; Beacon's Mental Hospital. Unfortunately for Harry, nothing ever comes easy. Maybe a patient with the familiarity of a Malfoy named, Leslie Withers, could help in figuring out what is really going on behind the white walls. But Darkness and monster in a white coat has dragged Harry into something deadly and haunting. Now with Detectives Sebastian Castellanos and Joseph Oda, they must fight and rip their way through a decrepit hell in order to make it out alive.

  It was getting hot everywhere. Harry never cared for the heat, since most of his life consisted a tiny, sweltering broom closet. But this heat was different, it was more than uncomfortable, it was near painful. Screams echoed in his ears, death flashed before his eyelids until he forced them open. Harry felt a strong hands gripping his arms and yanked him away from the strong heat. "Wha. . .?" Glancing up Harry saw through foggy eyes Sebastian pulling him out of the burning vehicle and into a safe patch of dirt. "Seb," pausing to cough, Harry doubled over and sat up. "We're alive? How. . .?"

  "I don't know." Sebastian began to cough a little as well. "Nobody else is here though, no bodies either. What the hell is going on? Where are we?" Harry didn't have an answer for that and instead rose up. His eyes scouted the area and was surprised to find that they were in a forest. "Huh, what's this?"

  He glanced over to see the detective holding a large syringe. "Hold on, let me see what that is." Slowly pulling out his wand in front of the muggle was nerve-racking but he had no choice and figured desperate times calls for desperate measures. Harry casted an identifying charm and learned that the green colored syringe had a healing effect. "It's safe, strange though. I've never seen anything like it."

  Sebastian, took back the syringe from Harry, putting his trust in the younger man and injected himself. The younger man was shocked at the lack of hesitance and figured that he would be dealing with another Gyriffindoor type of person, which could go good or bad. The change from a slouching man to and much healthier being was instant, making Harry wounder if what was in that syringe was magical. The detective rolled his shoulders back and looked over behind them. "There's a path, lets get out of here."

  Seeing no other option Harry followed the man into the dark and away from the fire. After some time Harry could see the small glances that Sebastian kept shooting towards him, making Harry feel irritated. "If you want to say something then do it."

  It was quiet for a moment. "What did you do back there, and at the hospital? What is that stick you're holding." They came up to a carcass of an animal and Harry paused.

  "Well, to put it plain and simple, I'm a wizard." He waited for the outburst of questions or accusations but it was quiet around them, except for the blasted ravens. Taking a chance Harry turned to the other man and saw a very focus stare directly at him, stopping Harry in his tracks. "Well?"

  Sebastian kept silent before crossing his arms and taking a deep breath. "A. . .wizard. I guess that explains a bit. But not everything." He was shocked that the detective was taking it so well, or he thought Harry was off his fuckin' rocker and was humoring him for the moment.

  Thunder rolled above them, snapping them both to reality. "Look, you can ask me twenty questions later. We should find the others or at least some civilization first, then I will answer what I can, deal?" Harry held out his hand and Sebastian took only a second to grasp it. Noting again, the warmth between them.

  "I'll hold you to that. Let's keep moving then." As they continued it didn't take long for them to come across a small bit of light and went straight for it. The detective found an old oil lamp and picked it up, hardly any cracks on the glass. The area now more lit, they could see a man walking towards a tent in the distance. "Hey!" Sebastian called out. They both made their way down the rocks, slipping and Harry catching Sebastian when he began to tumble. "Thanks."

  "No problem. That looked like our driver." The wizard threw out.

  Sebastian nodded, "Connelly, come on." Swiftly but silently they moved to the tent, the disturbing shadow revealing something disgusting was happening inside. Harry saw the detective get close enough to pick up a gun from the ground and slowly rose up. "Connelly?" The bent over figure then dropped a head of the nameless body, half eaten, and rose up as well.

  "Shite," Harry muttered. Sebastian didn't hesitate to raise the gun and take three swift shots to Connelly's Head. Killing him instantly. "Bloody hell, do you have any idea what happened to him?"

  "No, fuck me." Harry had to do everything in his power not to respond to that. The both of them stepped inside to take a quick glance around. Harry felt pity for the dead men and had to force himself back in the present. "Hey, Potter," driving Harry's attention away from the bloody scene. On the other side of the tent was Sebastian holding up a jar of something green in a thick consistency. "Could you use your, eh, magic to see what this thing is?"

  Seeing no reason to say no Harry walked over to use the same spell he used earlier on the syringe. "It's seems to be a enhancing agency. I don't know exactly what it is, but it's not poisonous." The detective took that and considered the jar before pocketing it. "Why?" Harry simply asked.

  Sebastian only shrugged. "I've seen it before, elsewhere. Might need it later." Since Harry didn't want to fight about the man's strange easiness on taking strange, green things, Harry moved out from the tent and spotted a cave nearby.

  "This looks to be the only way from here. Should we go?"

  "Might as well, let me get the lantern on then we'll go." Once the light flooded them again they marched forward and into the narrow cave. It was a short trek until Harry spotted Leslie first, both surprised and much relived to see the boy alive and mostly okay.

  The pale boy flinch as they neared him and mumbled, "Hurts. . .hurts. . ." That was then they noticed a thick line of wire right at chest level with them.

  "Whoa," Sebastian took a step back. "Were you warning us about this? Your Leslie right? I'm a police officer. Maybe we should help you." Leslie only repeated him. "Shit, how am I going to get you to a hospital?"

  The word hospital seemed to trigger something in the boy. He grew frightened and shuffled back, whispering, then ran away. "Wait, Leslie! Don't run off!" Harry tried to follow but the wire kept him in place.

  "What the fuck?" They followed the wire that was attached to a metal disk on the side of the wood frame. "I'm pretty sure this is an explosive trap."

  "Can you disarm it?" Harry certainly couldn't.

  "I think so, stand back and give me a second." Not wanting to be in the line of fire, Harry took two steps back and let the man take a shot at it. He noticed that the wire was high enough that they could crouch under it if needed. Something to remember. After a few seconds the wire fell off and the metal disk fell to the floor in a mess of parts.

  "Damn, I'll be honest, I'm impressed." Sebastian gave Harry a slightly cocky smirk over his shoulder and then proceeded on. The trail went a little steep but it was easy to walk down. Soon enough they were back outside again, so they sprinted forward hoping to catch up with the poor boy. Sebastian only stopped to pick up a box of matches next to another corpse before continuing on. They reached a shack with a bloody symbol painted on the door and went inside. On the table was another jar of the green gel and a small booklet next to a very nice mirror that was a bit out of place considering the state of the shack.

  Sebastian didn't hesitate to go for the jar while Harry picked up the book and read out loud, "Finally got my gold badge. Detective Sebastian Castellanos, I like the sound of that. Seems a long time coming, but they say that I'm one of the fastest ever to rise through the ranks." Sebastian moved over to Harry. "Is this yours?" Confused at the book appearing out of nowhere.

  Sebastian looked just as confused. "Yes, what the fuck is that doing here." Then he flinched and his gaze went straight for the mirror behind Harry.

  "Detective? Sebastian? What-" before Harry could finish, the man was gone in a flash of light, scarring the shit out of Harry. "Sebastian! Where did you go?!" Cautious and a bit fearful at being suddenly alone, he considered moving on to find Leslie but only moments later Sebastian came back in another flash of light. "You-Where did you go?! You just-disappeared!"

  The detective rubbed at his head and straightened up. "I'm not completely sure myself. It's like I walk into this other world and. . ." He stopped then fixed himself up. "It's fine, no need to worry about me. I'm fine."

  Forcing his blush down Harry crossed his arms and scoffed. "Worried, ha! I just didn't want to be alone anymore." Neither believed those words, Sebastian sent another smirk towards Harry. "Anyway, if you're done disappearing on me let's go and find Leslie." The detective kept his smirk as he led them out of the cabin and back into the night. Following the path down, they continued their search and quickly found the missing boy running into another cabin and closing the door behind himself to block out another walking, decaying body. "It's good to see he's smart enough to protect himself."

  Sebastian quietly hummed in agreement and slowed his walk before going into a crouch and stabbing the monster in the back of the head . He dragged the body off and Harry carefully opened the door, preparing for a possible attack. The room was empty but Harry could see Leslie running off through the open window. Both Harry and Sebastian jumped through and followed the boy again. They passed a bonfire and went through some old gates to finally reach another cabin with somebody, alive, stumbling from it.

  "Hey," Sebastian gently called out, "are you guys from around here? We don't know where. . ." He trailed off when he saw that the man payed no attention to them. Glancing to their left, Harry flinched when they were assaulted by the harsh, white light coming what looked like a lighthouse. Suddenly the old man was attacked by barbed wire that burst from the ground and tightly wrapping around the man, altering him and changing him into a monster.

  "I've never seen something like that, even with magic." Sebastian gave Harry a worried look and pushed him gently back to hide in the dark from the newly created monsters. There seemed to be only two but it was still risky not know how these things were going to react. "What do you want to do?" Harry softly asked.

  The detective blinked took a look around before finding a bottle on the ground. "If can separate these two we can take them both out quietly. I don't know how many there are and I really don't want to attract any more to us." That was reasonable.

  "Okay if you can bring them over I can decapitate them. Save your bullets for when we need them." Harry pulled out his wand and moved over to Sebastian's other side. He watched as the older man carefully aimed with the bottle and threw it about fifteen feet from them. The closest monster heard the shatter and wandered over to inspect the sound. Waiting for the perfect moment, Harry kept his eye on his target. The creature groaned and threw itself around search for something. Harry didn't move until its' back was to them and quickly waved his wand. "Diffindo." The light swiftly slashed through the air and in a split second one single body lost its' head.

  The next moment was silent. "So, now I got to be honest with you. When you said you were a wizard. . .I thought I was dealing with two crazies. Now, I'm starting to rethink that." Harry couldn't help but chuckle at the man.

  "Who said I wasn't crazy?" He was gifted with another smile.

  "Fair point. Can you get the other one from here?" Harry stepped up a bit to search and found the other monster lumbering around in a circle. He nodded and whispered the spell again, watching as the other thing also lost his head. "Okay, that's pretty handy."

  The wizard smiled as they got up. "Thanks, let's keep moving, I'm not sure how Leslie was able to pass here easily but I really don't want to find him dead." Sebastian agreed and after a quick search around they collected some more bullets and weird green gel then headed off.

 

* * *

 

 

  Both Harry and Sebastian took collective breaths of air as they rested against the stone wall right next to a crank. They were bombarded by more of those things, Sebastian having no choice but to use a few of his bullets when Harry could only take out so many at a time. After close to an hour of carefully running around and sometimes fighting, they were a bit tired. "This is bullshite. This not what I'm being paid to do." Harry then paused then straightened up. "Wait, am I even being paid for this job. Dammit Proudfoot."

  "So, not a private investigator I assume."

  Harry rolled his eyes, forcing his hair back from his face. "No, I once was an specific type of law enforcement like you, but because of certain past events I was practically shoveled with any job that was optional. My coworkers got lazy and when we had a bad job come around we lost three men and a woman in a group of ten. Nearly half." Shaking his head to clear the memories of the funerals that he attended for each fallen, Harry crossed his arms. "I quit, not because I couldn't handle the death or anything like that. It was more than that. People we so use to me already fixing all their problems and I couldn't handle that pressure anymore. It's not my job to save everyone, not anymore."

  A comfortable silence fell over them while they collected themselves. "How old are you?" Harry blinked at the sudden question and raised a brow at the detective. Sebastian moved over to the crank and began turning the handle. "You look young but your eyes, your attitude, it doesn't scream rookie like most do. So, how old are you?"

  Not quite sure what was the point of the question but Harry shrugged, watching the wooden gate slowly rise. "I'm turning twenty-three soon." The gate instantly slammed shut.

  "Twenty-three? Fuck. . ." He began to mumble to himself as he began to turn the crank once again, having previously stopped do to the shocking answer. Harry wondered if he should worry about Sebastian treating him differently but pushed that thought away. The man might not know Harry personally but he has seen what he was capable of, that alone should say something about his age and experience. Once the gate was finally opened Sebastian and Harry carried on through. The gate closed behind them. They could see a good sized fire flickering not too far from them and when they got closer they see even more of the monsters eating someone else. Quickly crouching down, Sebastian and Harry moved to pass through hopefully unnoticed. "Good God. That's right, just keep doing what you're doing."

  Luck was on their side as none of the creatures took notice of them. When the coast was clear they ran up the path, putting as much distance as they could from the large group of things. Until Harry managed to kick a rock that broke a few bottles at once. The group got up and chased them down quickly.

  "Shit! We got to get out of here!" Harry ran up to the gate and banged as hard as he could but it was already too late as the monsters were already on them. He could use a spell to open the gate and with limited space he couldn't safely blast them away. Harry decapitated the few closest too him but there was too many and they were closing in too fast. Sebastian made some quick decisions and dragged Harry with him over a ledge and pulled them both over, falling into the cold, dark waters below. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the numbers of magical children coming up missing, or dead, Harry Potter is asked to step in and investigate the prime suspect; Beacon's Mental Hospital. Unfortunately for Harry, nothing ever comes easy. Maybe a patient with the familiarity of a Malfoy named, Leslie Withers, could help in figuring out what is really going on behind the white walls. But Darkness and monster in a white coat has dragged Harry into something deadly and haunting. Now with Detectives Sebastian Castellanos and Joseph Oda, they must fight and rip their way through a decrepit hell in order to make it out alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter. This actually fast for me to be honest. I got a special request for a Harry/Ruvik parring and I wasn't sure about that. It's different, and I'll think about it; got plenty time before the end of the story anyway. If anyone else likes the idea of a Harry/Ruvik parring then I'll add that in. Let me know soon.

  Harry held his breath, holding onto the only source of warmth in the dark abyss around them. He never managed to really lean how to swim and was really regretting that now; the most he could do was float and hold on. Sebastian held on just as tightly and pulled them up to the closest shore, not letting go until both their heads were above the unforgiving waters. Once they could stand Sebastian and Harry walked through the water and stepped up the rocky shore next to a pile of wooden crates.

  "I really need to take a bloody swimming class or something after this." Harry sat back and emptied his boots to get as much of the water out before casting a quick drying charm on them then himself. When he was done Harry turned to the detective to offer up a drying spell when he noticed that the man's gaze was on his feet. Looking down he realized that his toes were still painted dark green from Luna's spa day three days ago. "Most of my friends are girls. Don't go there."

  The older man snickered before turning away and breaking open the crates. Harry rolled his eyes, dried the man off with a spell, then followed. "Thanks, that must come in handy."

  Harry shrugged. "I don't get my clothes soaked very often so I don't use it much. Should you really be doing that?" Pointing to the mess of broken wood around them. Sebastian managed to find more green gel and another syringe though.

  "I find that in a situation like this, you gotta find and get all you can." Pocketing everything he found in his vest and pants.

  Harry cocked his head and crossed his arms. "And I suppose you're an expert?"

  "Well, are you?" Okay, he had a point. Once they were prepared they trotted up the stone steps nearby to only come across a pile of bodies, next to them a few matches close too. Sebastian picked them up and lit one to drop the flame on the corpses. Flames eagerly disintegrated the dead blockade, the terrible smell causing both men to flinch. Going forward they finally entered what looked like a small town with the gates closing right behind them again. "Shit."

  That was getting really annoying. To no ones surprise the town was full of the undead freaks as well but this time they were much more spaced apart, easier to take care of. Going from house to house, killing anything that came in their way, collecting bullets, dodging traps, and finding more of that fucking gel, they finally heard something more human sounding. Going through the house Harry found a shotgun and some buckshot's to go with it and handed it to Sebastian. "I've never shot a gun before so you could probably use this more than I can."

  "You've never used a gun before?" The pure disbelief in those whiskey eyes would've been funny any other time.

  "I'm a wizard, mate. Remember?" 

  Sebastian blinked before nodding. "Makes sense, though you should probably learn if you ever lose that stick of yours."

  "My wand? I have back up plans if that were to happen." Harry paused and considered his words though. "But you have a point. It's a good idea to learn at least the basics at some point. But now is not the time, with limited ammo."

  The older man nodded. "Good, if we have the time and the practice I'll help you out." Harry smiled and moved up the stairs where they heard the human-like sound. The old wood creaking underneath them. Carefully opening the door, Sebastian drew up his gun and asked, "Who's there?" There on the other side of the room was Doctor Jimenez.

  "No, don't shoot! I'm not one of "them". I'm a doctor; Marcelo Jimenez."

  "You were in the ambulance before it crashed, right?" The detective asked as Harry closed the door behind them.

  The doctor look relieved to be around other people again. "Yes, we're lucky to be alive." For some reason that almost sounded bitter to Harry. 

  "Have you seen anyone else?" They both asked.

  The doctor, not impressed with them, answered, "My patient, Leslie. I saw him running up ahead, but. . ." He hesitated, frustration shown on his face.

  "But?" Harry prompted.

  Waving to the old balcony, Jimenez said, "Come this way. Quietly, mind you." Sebastian and Harry shared another look; as if they didn't already figure out that stealth was the best course of action here. Stepping outside they had a much better view of the area. "Have look for yourselves. Those. . .things chased me all the way into the village."

  "Us as well. They're all over the place." Harry could see some creatures wielding sharp tools as weapons and debated how to handle the new situation.

  "Leslie went through that gate." Said gate slammed shut. Fucking bullshite. "Good lord."

  Sebastian searched the area and frowned. "There are too many of them to shoot our way through."

  "One of us could try to lure them away while the others gets the gate open." While walking away, Jimenez remarked. "You're the one with the gun."

  The detective sighed and looked over to the younger man. "What do you think?"

  Harry appreciated that Sebastian wanted his opinion on the situation. "I don't like it but the doctor has a point. We need to get that gate open. While we're at it we should clean up the place as we go; you know, take out the trash?" They both considered the plan and figuring there really was nothing else they could do, headed out to get moving.  

  Suddenly there was a noise and the doctor spoke up. "Argh, damnable thing. There is a crank on the terrace. You'll need to operate if I'm to pass through." The detective walked over to the crank a few feet away. Harry watched as the walls beneath them lifted up until they latched, then he could see Jimenez moving forward. "Over here! Here!" It didn't take much for the visual monsters to see the doctor and follow him until he locked himself safely in another house.

  "That old man's gonna get himself killed." As they moved on the jingle of chains and rough grunting caught Harry's attention. He grabbed Sebastian.

  "Listen, do you hear that?" It was coming from the barn next door. "It sounds like. . .that monster back in Beacon. The one who chased us."

  Sebastian cursed. "Fuck, I think you're right. Let's not deal with that thing for now. We have enough problems as it is."

  Harry chuckled. "You won't be hearing complaints from me." They headed down and avoided the barn like the plague. It wasn't long before they found a bathroom with that blasted mirror and another small book. Harry picked it up without thinking. "First day as a detective my new partner, Myra Hanson, is a real firecracker." Before Harry could read any more the book was snatched from his hands lightning fast. It took Harry a second to realize that it was pretty rude to read someone else journal, especially right in front of them. "I'm sorry Sebastian, I didn't think."

  "No it's alright. I'm not mad it's just. . .they're pretty personal." He shoved the book in a small pocket next to the other one.

  "Still, I'm sorry. I won't do that again." Sebastian smiled at Harry then got the same look on his face from the last time they were near a mirror then he turn towards the mirror, disappearing in a flash of light once again. Feeling a bit more comfortable at the familiar occurrence, Harry left the room and made himself comfortable as he waited for Sebastian to come back. It took a little longer than last time but it wasn't long until Sebastian walked out the bathroom, rubbing his head like last time. "Hey, welcome back from where ever your going."

  Smiling, the other man motioned for Harry to follow and head out to finish the plan. Awhile later and multiple monsters dead and they somehow got to the crank only to realize it needed something to break the chains in order for it to open. "Dammit, what could we use?"

  Studying the rusty, linked metal Harry figured it shouldn't take much. "Hold on, let me try something first." Sebastian stepped back and Harry lifted up his wand, trying the cutting curse first. The chains barely moved and when he decided to try again a sudden wave of exhaustion came over Harry. "What? . . .I-" He dropped to his knees, his vision darkening.

  "Potter? Potter. Harry!" Harry jerked back as awareness came to him moments later. Sebastian held onto the smaller man's shoulders as he gave him short jerks. "Are you awake? Come on, I need you to get up."

  Swallowing his dry throat, Harry forced himself back on his feet. "Shite, I'm sorry."

  "What happened? Are you okay?"

  "I think it's my magic core. It's kind of like. . .a muscle, I guess. Over time you can strengthen it up and get use to using it so much. But I've been at it for hours with hardly any rest, using high levels of spells repeatedly, I think I've used my magic to it's near extent for the moment." Feeling the piece of wood between his fingers. "If I can rest up I'll be fine."

  The detective nodded. "How long could that take?"

  "Well, with the extent that I've used it for. I'd say four, maybe five hours." Both grimaced at their misfortune. "I know we don't have four hours, so. . .what do you want to do. We need to break these chains to get this gate open."

  Glancing around for inspiration, they quickly came up short. What were they going to do? "Hey, Harry." Snapping his head up, green eyes focused on Sebastian. That was the second time he used his first name. "You're not going to like this."

  With a sigh Harry responded with, "there is nothing about this situation that I like." Sebastian gave a bitter smile.

  "True but I was thinking. These chains are weak, maybe a chainsaw can cut through them." Huh? Harry wondered.

  "I guess, but where are we going to get a-" Harry paused, the silence being broken by a distant and very familiar roar. "You can't be serious." Steady whiskey color stayed on Harry. "Oh bloody hell, you are. This is a terrible idea, especially since I'm nearly handicapped now."

  "We have no choice. You got a better idea?"

 

* * *

 

 

  Obviously Harry did not have a better idea since here they were, inside the barn and feet away from the wooden wall that separated them from the blubbering monster chained to the wall with the chainsaw. "How did that song go? "This is the way the world ends, this is the way the world ends, not with a bang but. . .with a chainsaw maniac right up my arse?"

  A horribly concealed scoff came from his right. "I don't think that's how it goes."

  "Close enough for the moment." Taking stock of the situation and the progress of his restoring magic, Harry turned to the older man next to him. "If shite hits the fan, worse than it's already going to, I have enough energy for one spell before that's it. I rather not waste it."

  Sebastian nodded. "Agreed. If you can keep his attention on you I can shoot him in the back of his head. He should go down pretty quick if we're careful enough." Taking the shotgun that Harry found earlier, he handed it over. "Load, cock, aim, shoot and repeat. But be careful."

  He couldn't help but throw a similar smirk that Sebastian had tossed his way a few times back at him. "It's fine, no need to worry about me. I'll be fine." Snorts from the pigs sounded like they doubted us. "Bloody pigs."

  The detective began walking carefully towards the chained monster and waited a second before breaking the wood barrier. Harry picked up an ax that lay a few feet from him and waved it, catching the attention of the monster upon himself. It seemed to get more enraged and finally broke free from its' bindings. Before Sebastian could grab for the chainsaw, the creature already pick it up and charged for Harry. "Shit! Run, Harry!" He didn't need to be told twice. 

  Long legs carried Harry back outside and for a more open area, not at all shocked that even more of the undead monsters were coming around as well. They were most likely drawn by the noises the big beast was making. "Fuck," Harry cursed as he dodged not only the swinging of the deadly weapon, but the freaks that tried to grab for him as well. The wizard could hear shots firing behind him, forcing the smaller monsters to fall dead but it still wasn't enough. "Think, think." Harry chanted to himself.

  As Harry made a sharp turn around a wood beam he thrust his ax at the main chaser into the side of its neck, bright, hot blood spewed from the open wound and all over Harry's arm and chest. A loud howl of pain echoed the town. Before Harry could pull back his weapon he was suddenly thrown back, falling hard on dirt and rocks. More shots broke the air and snapped Harry out of his short daze. Getting up and hesitantly lifting up the long, double barrel weapon, Harry took aim and fired at the walking nightmare before him. 

  It roared again, barely fazed at the attack and got ready for another swing of the chainsaw. Muscles tensed, anticipating the attack until one more shot rang through. A small hole pierced through the fat head of the thing, more blood speckling Harry's face, then the monster fell. It melted and bubbled on the ground in a quiet hiss then everything was silent. The blood shifted then flew from the ground until it reached a new person in a white hooded coat at the gate. 

  Harry didn't recognize the man but his presence alone sent a shock through his spine. The burned, exposed flesh was a gruesome sight. He wasn't sure what to do about him, cold shivers crawling on his skin until the man disappeared. Harry was both relieved and curious at the new face. 

  "Harry, are you alright?" The wizard turned and gazed over to the detective. He was almost as bloody as Harry was, and none of it thankfully seemed to be his own.

  Nodding his head Harry groaned and reached down to pick up the chainsaw. "Yeah, I got hit pretty good but it's nothing to worry about." Sebastian gave him a hard look.

  "If you're sure. . ." Sebastian took the chainsaw from Harry, getting a feel for the weight of it. "I better hold on to this." The younger man had no want to keep that thing on him anyway. They walked back to the gate where the strange man had stood. "He was the one from the hospital." Pointing to where the gate is and where the man was.

  Dark brows wrinkled. "What do you mean? I've never seen him before."

  "He was the one who attacked me, most likely you as well."

  Weird, all Harry could remember was a flash of a knife. Why didn't Harry get to see him? "I guess I didn't get a good enough look at him before everything turned to shite. Anyway, want to get the hell out of here?" Not needing any prompting, Sebastian revved the chainsaw on and began to slash away at the rusty chains. Hot, white sparks flew everywhere until the metal finally snapped on the crank. The gate flew open instantly, sending relief through the two.

  "Wait. Over here!" Oh, yeah. Harry had almost forgotten about the doctor. "Wait, uh, officer and. . ." Harry crossed his arms. "Uh, you. You must take me with you."

  "Detective Castellanos and Private Investigator Potter." Sebastian corrected. The younger man fought hard not to break into a smile. It seems that Sebastian was smart and kind enough not to mention he was also a wizard.

  But the doctor still ignored him. "Leslie should be just ahead. It is imperative that we find him." That much was obvious but it sounded like Jimenez was even more desperate to find the pale boy. He was hiding something from Sebastian and Harry, something possibly important. When all three passed through the gate, nobody was surprised when it slammed shut right behind them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the numbers of magical children coming up missing, or dead, Harry Potter is asked to step in and investigate the prime suspect; Beacon's Mental Hospital. Unfortunately for Harry, nothing ever comes easy. Maybe a patient with the familiarity of a Malfoy named, Leslie Withers, could help in figuring out what is really going on behind the white walls. But Darkness and monster in a white coat has dragged Harry into something deadly and haunting. Now with Detectives Sebastian Castellanos and Joseph Oda, they must fight and rip their way through a decrepit hell in order to make it out alive.

  Old buildings and houses, much like the previous town, stretched over the land. The air was quieter and more subdued in this place, Harry thought to himself. "Ah, the hospice. Yes. . .Leslie was being treated here years ago." Was that a good thing or a bad thing in terms to finding the boy? "He'd come here thinking it was familiar and safe."

  "You know where we are?" The older man asked.

  "Just ahead is the hospice my brother runs. He'll take us in."

  Sebastian frowned. "That didn't answer my question." Harry just wanted a place to rest and regain his magic.

  Shrugging, Jimenez replied. "I honestly don't know. For all I know I'm losing my mind and you're just a delusion. But I'd like to think I still have a shred of dignity and an obligation to protect my patient. As an officer of the law you should too." Then he sprinted off.

  "Well fuck you too." Harry mumbled. Sebastian sighed and followed after the doctor, Harry staying close by.

  "I hope his brother's not a jerk too."

  "That's the least we need to worry about." Harry mentioned. Following the doctor they entered a large house with peeling paint and broken furniture spread out everywhere. "Why is everything appear to be dying here? This can't be sanitary or allowed by health laws. Right?"

  Sebastian shrugged. "Well, if you know somebody. . ." Nothing else was needed to be said.

  "What could have happened here?" Whispered Jimenez. They made a left and entered a new room that was fairly lit and smelled of rot and medicine, which really didn't make much sense to Harry.

  They could hear another voice whispering but couldn't quite make it out. Stepping carefully into the new area, Sebastian drew his pistil but Harry kept his wand out of sight. For one, he was still low on the magic use, and two, Jimenez was present. Harry really didn't want anymore muggles being aware of magic, he got really lucky with Sebastian.

  "Peel away. . .no tearing. . ." That didn't sound good. Harry looked around and found a bottle. Figuring that was better than nothing he pick it up and stepped up next to the detective. "Expose everything."

  As they turned the corner a large man leaning over a table came into view. Jimenez didn't seem to worry and walk right by them. "Doc, no. Don't." Sebastian tried to warn.

  "Valerio, it's me! This is my brother, Valerio. Leslie's original doctor. . ." Then trailed off when he witnessed the blood splaying everywhere.

  Harry knew better. "That's not your brother anymore, Jimenez." The detective pushed him back and widened his stance. Pieces of flesh fell onto the floor in a sick mess. The body that they could see on the table had long since been dead, caked in its own blood.

  Sebastian gave a step forward, "Hey, what are you doing?" Then the large man turned, half his face ripped away, his eyes both dead and angry. The new monster raised a curved blade and began to charge for then. Not giving the thing an advantage, Harry tossed the bottle, shattering it across his face. The thing stumbled but that gave Sebastian enough of a chance to him shoot three times in the head. Once the man was dead he fell hard to the floor, making the whole place give a little shake.

  Then the shaking got worse. Bottles along the walls clanked against themselves, some falling to the floor. The lamp above the operating table swayed a few inches back and forth, casting unusual shadows everywhere. A sharp ringing stabbed into Harry's ears. It was uncomfortable and reminded him of the battle of Hogwarts where everything seemed both loud and silent at the same time. 

  A smokey figure of the same large man reappeared back at the table, showing them of his terrible acts and ripping at his own head. As fast as the shade appeared, it had disappeared as well.

  Jimenez came back not long after. "How could he have done that to Valerio?" Who was the doctor talking about? "Impossible. Couldn't be Ruvik." Rubbing his face the doctor faced away to find a seat. Sebastian walked over to the table.

  "Hey, Harry. Come check this out." He went over and saw what Sebastian was pointing to. There was an x-ray of a person's pelvis on the table close by with a shape of a key next to the spine. 

  "You're not going to reach in there are you?"

  The older man shrugged. "Why would there be a key hiding there? Better to have it around now, just in case we might need to later." Harry grimaced and turned to the corpse. "I'll do it, don't worry."

  "Mate, it's gross either way." Rolling his eyes, Sebastian turned and raised his knife to the stitched line down the body's chest, cutting it back open. Smell of rotting flesh assaulted them even more strongly. Sebastian hovered his hand over the open cut then slipped it inside, Harry giving only the slightest bit of a flinch. He began to feel around until the body suddenly shot up and grabbed at Sebastian with a haunting scream.

  Harry wasted no time and punched the man in the face, forcing him to fall back on the table. The detective fell back a few steps and shared a look with Harry. "That's some quick reflexes, thanks." Harry nodded and swiftly moved around the table to his side. A bloody hand held up a key attached to a ring and smirked. "Want to hold on to this?"

  With a groan, Harry snatched the wet key and shoved it deep into his coat pocket. "Can we get the hell out of here now?" Sebastian nodded and they both left the room, Jimenez following closely. While scoping out the rest of the house they found more of the blasted green gel, some more bullets and another ax that Harry now wielded.    

  As they made their way outside a small yell caught their attention. "Leslie?" Jimenez questioned.

  "That came from outside." Sebastian made his way towards a bonfire of bodies, killed a monster carrying a woman and made their way through the streets. Harry kept his eyes peeled for any surprise attacks, silently cursing the whimpering doctor behind them that kept complaining about being left behind. Just pick up the speed, Doc.

  When they entered a new house, Harry and Sebastian investigated the place but something seemed to catch Jimenez's attention. "Ruvik? No, he couldn't have. . ." He definitely knew something more to what was going gone. But why wasn't he explaining anything?

  Back outside they heard Leslie once again calling for help. The detective spotted him and frowned. "What's wrong with this kid?"

  "Not sure, but he's spooked. We need to calm him down." So they followed the pale boy into another building. Finding the stairs down, they moved on to catch up. More cries for help echoing.

  "He's gone down there." 

  "Let's hurry then. He can't go anywhere else." Harry then led the group with the ax still in his hands. He was really getting worked up for the boy and Harry wasn't quite sure why; well besides the possibility that he was a Malfoy, but there was a strange need in him to protect Leslie. Maybe Sebastian feels the same thing.

  On the bottom floor a red light gleamed over the door on the end of the hall. Feeling uncomfortable but not scared, Harry pushed on. The door opened easily enough to reveal an old photographer's room with multiple pictures stuck to a wall.  One of the biggest photos was of a tall man in a crisp vest with his face slightly blurred. It was Sebastian.

  "Leslie! Oh, thank heavens. Doctor Jimenez is here. Settle down." Before Harry could point out the pictures he heard the sounds of foot steps heading towards the room.

  Sebastian, hearing it too, motioned for Harry to stay put while addressing the other two. "Wait, doc. I think something's coming." The door slammed open but nothing stepped out. Harry could still hear something moving about and was confused to what was going on. When a bottle on the floor was suddenly shifted Harry didn't waste time to swing the ax across from himself. He made contact with something as it briefly flickered before disappearing again. The detective acted fast and whipped up the shotgun and used a couple rounds.

  The thing finally went down in a heap. A bloody body covered the floor in flesh and blood but was no longer moving. "Is it over? Are you still out there?" Jimenez called out.

  With a sigh, Harry relaxed. "It's fine. The thing is dead now."

  "Is anywhere safe at all?" Sebastian questioned out loud. 

  The doctor needlessly answered. "I think that's unlikely." He then led Leslie out of the corner room. Harry, seeing a chance, stepped forward. Who knows when he would get another chance to talk to the boy.

  "Hold on a second doctor." Leslie shivered and mumbled but didn't run away again, thankfully. "Hi there Leslie, do you remember me?"

  "I don't think now is the time-"

  Harry cut Jimenez off with a glare and bent over to get more of eye contact with Leslie. Up close Harry could see dirt but no blood anywhere. "Hello, do you know who I am?" The boy paused before whispering "yes" over a few times. "That's good. I want to help you, that's my job. Do you know the name, Malfoy?" Leslie mumbled and curled into himself more.

  "Please, Leslie doesn't need to be interrogated." Sebastian was oddly quiet but stuck close to Harry and the open door.

  "No, the one who needs to be interrogated is you Marcelo. Don't think I'm not aware of what your hospital has done over the years." The air grew thick suddenly with tension. Leslie began to mumble again, catching Harry's attention. "Hey, it's okay. Do you know that name? Malfoy?"

  The boy was silent before suddenly whispering "magic" over and over again. With his heart beating fast Harry went to ask more questions but the damned doctor tore the boy away and led him out. Both frustrated and elated with the small information, Harry began to mentally note everything that has happened so far. There was no way Harry could explain everything alone and figured a pensive would work perfectly for Proudfoot when he gets back to the Ministry.

  Sebastian reached over and gently placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Should I ask?"

  The younger man shook his head. "You know I can't answer that." They silently agreed to keep going and follow the doctor and his patient out. As they left the room they saw Jimenez standing and pushing against a solid wall that wasn't there before. 

  "The stairs are gone." Oh, fuck.

  "We must be collectively losing our minds." Sebastian snarked at him.

  Harry shook his head. "Trust me, it doesn't work like this. We would all be seeing something different, not the same thing."

  Leslie was stuck on what Sebastian said though. "Losing our minds. . .losing our minds. . . Losing our minds!" Then shouted out. The ringing picked up again but it was much more mellow.

  Behind them stood the hooded figure. "Oh god, no. Ruvik. . .it is you." The badly burned man, Ruvik, stared at them all intently. Leslie screamed again but all Harry could do was focus on Ruvik, wondering if he was going to attack them as well. But Ruvik turned around, his eyes darting to Harry and walked off, as if he was daring Harry to follow him. Jimenez thought that was a very bad idea. "No! Don't follow him!" But it only took a few steps from Harry and Sebastian until the hall suddenly shifted and changed around them. Jimenez and Leslie disappearing. 

  "What the?!"

  "Where did we go? Where did they go?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

  "Doctor? Leslie?" The detective asked. But they got no answer. The short hallway had extended to where it almost seemed infinite. "Fuck." The both of them began moving forward, the air pulsating around them, the lights flashing red briefly multiple times. Not long later and a door appeared but once they got close the door vanished and were at the beginning of the hallway again. "Not losing our minds?" He asked Harry.

  Harry frowned. "It would be nearly impossible for us to be seeing the exact same thing unless our minds were somehow linked up." When they moved forward again a loud banging rang through the hallway then a wave of dark, red water that looked too much like blood flooded everything. Being afraid of being separated, Harry clung to Sebastian as they were consumed.

 

* * *

 

 

  When Harry felt it was okay to open his eyes he was instantly aware he was standing in a lake of blood that came waist high on him. "Bloody hell. . .literally." Stale death filled his nose and a chill that surrounded them was unforgiving. Harry could see large, metal carts with bodies piled high, everything covered in dark rust.

  "What is going on here?" Sebastian kept one hand on Harry while the wizard led them through the glossy liquid. He spotted a lever and thought he might as well pull on it, knowing Sebastian would've done it anyway. Something whirled under their feet and strangely enough the blood was being drained. Moving on, Harry spotted a door and went through it. Sebastian staying right behind him the whole time. When he found some stairs, Harry went and up gone only for a few feet before a clicking sound snapped at him and Sebastian quickly pulled the wizard back as it blew up.

  There was a little bit of smoke but neither of they were hurt. "Thanks, mate." Sebastian cough and grunted before following Harry up again, much more careful of anything that could harm them. Walking around and dodging more of the fucking traps they found the door that looked to exit the disgusting room. When Sebastian moved to open it blood and flesh crawled over the door, then Ruvik came into view. Harry, much closer to him this time around, got a better look of the damaged man. He was pale like Leslie is, except for the old, black burns and wounds stretched over different parts of his body. The one eye that Harry could see was a pale yellow, very similar to the eyes werewolves have, he noted.

  He was also, strangely, barefoot.

  Harry didn't understand why that stood out to him. Under Ruvik was tiny beads of blood that ran across the floor and past them to the bodies in the room. At once several monsters rose from the black floor with a groan. Ruvik didn't stay long after that.

  Getting prepared for a fight, Harry jumped around and searched for a weapon while Sebastian took down as many as he could with his small stock of ammo. The younger man got an idea when he spotted the red, glowing bomb a few feet from him and got the attention of a couple of the freaks to follow him. An hour later after running around and luring the human-like creatures to the still armed traps Harry and Sebastian were finally alone and alive. "Nice work with the bombs, Harry." 

  Harry smiled at Sebastian. "I think we could use these to our advantage in the future." The detective nodded and they made their way back to the door again. It was free of the bloody flesh that had blocked them before. "What do you want to do now? Keep going?"

  It was hard to have a game plan with everything that kept being thrown in their way. "We're still going to do what we already planned. Find Leslie, get out of here, and get him to a hospital. Let's just kill anything that gets in our way." That sounded fine to Harry. With the door dramatically kicked open they continued on. The new door on their right was locked so they went into the next room with had a body on the floor that they could easily see. As the two got closer long arms shot up with a pitching scream. The figure was a black-haired woman with extra arms and long claws. "Shit! We better run!" 

  The obvious plan was to run away as fast as they could, especially now they were low on everything. When they got back to the door they came through it was locked, trapping them. There was only one plan Harry had left. Putting himself before Sebastian, he whipped out his wand to the fast woman and begun to whip up a spell. But the door to their right, that was previously locked, slammed open with another creature stumbling into the woman. Sebastian grabbed for Harry and dragged them through and ran as fast as they could. Harry spotted a red button as they ran through a wide entryway and hit it without a second thought, forcing a single door to slam shut behind them.

  A ladder nearby helped them escape even further while the new monster banged against the wall of the steel door. When they landed on the bottom floor, Harry spotted more explosive traps and steered Sebastian carefully under it and ran forward again heading for the elevator. Once inside the box moved further down, taking them away from the horrifying danger.

  When the elevator stopped and opened, familiar blood spewed out and the same woman from before came after Harry and Sebastian again. The wizard was getting exhausted and he could see the sweat glistening on Sebastian's face; he was getting winded as well, Harry knew. Once they reached a new hallway spikes shot up from the floor, a fast, closing door at the other end. 

  Harry was scared they weren't going to make it. He had to think fast. "Sebastian! Hold on, this is going to suck!" The wizard didn't give the detective a chance to move or say anything as he hugged the bigger man closely and hoped that Harry got a good enough look of the distant room to safely apparate the both of them. With the feeling of their navels pulling and sending them away through the air, they were safely transported away from the stalker. They fell into a heap on the metal floor, Harry being shoved into the railing and Sebastian still in his arms.

  The door closed with a loud clunk and they were alone once again. The detective groaned and rolled over to hurl the contents of his stomach a few feet away and Harry decided to remain motionless. "We made it. I can't believe it." Once the man had gotten his bearings together he looked over to Harry and placed a hand to the suddenly pale man face. "What the fuck? What just happened? Harry?"

  Taking as much air as he could, Harry made sure to check himself over and Sebastian to make sure he did splinch either of them. "I. . .I had to get us out of their. It's like a form a teleportation, but I have to be able to know where I'm going. It was a serious risk, but the outcome seemed better than being caught in that. . .thing's grasp." Harry coughed and sat a bit up further. "Sorry for the surprise. Really wasn't enough time to explain, I'm lucky I didn't splinch either of us."

  "Splinch? What's that?" 

  "It's when someone doesn't do what I just did correctly and it could seriously hurt someone." He managed to push himself up, with Sebastian's help, and ran his shaky fingers through his sweat-soaked hair. "I have a friend to was splinched once, his arm was a mangled mess but he's okay now."

  That sounded good enough for the detective. "Okay, are you ready to keep moving? How's the magic?"

  "Shite. I'm fine physically, but what magic I got back is almost gone again." Some luck Harry had. He went to take a step but with the exhaustion of running constantly and the ever present fear in his chest, Harry was damn near wiped out. "Could you," he started to ask. "Um, could you help me down these stairs? I. . ."

Sebastian instantly wrapped his strong arm around Harry's waist and draped his arm over his own shoulders. "Hold on, okay kid?"

  "Not a kid." Harry could help but mumble back.

  They began to take the steps down slowly. They took their time and managed it with no problems. When they went about two stories down they were shocked to see Ruvik a few feet from them. "Shit." Sebastian cursed some more and tightened his hold on Harry. There was no way they could escape in Harry's condition.

  "Drop me." Ruvik stepped closer and Sebastian practically had to drag Harry away. "Seb, you're going to have to drop me." Up the stairs again and Ruvik still followed.

  "What?! No! Fuck that!"

  There was a smirk on Ruvik's face, Harry could faintly see it. "Just do it, if I'm going down, I'm not taking you with me." Still, both Sebastian and Ruvik were stubborn. Harry knew he would never forgive himself if Sebastian died now just because Harry was too weak to keep up. Using all the strength he had, Harry shoved Sebastian forward, Ruvik almost up to them. "Go, dammit!"

  The detective looked broken and bared his teeth at Ruvik before running back up the stairs, alone. It brought a smile to his lips, knowing that Sebastian could still make it out of this alive. Harry turned away from the fading detective and faced the hooded man. He gave a small jolt when he saw the man was directly behind him. Ruvik stood a few inches taller than Harry, a hard stare studied Harry carefully. The thin, cracked lips stretched wide, revealing surprising white teeth. "I got you now, my little magician."

  The floor fell from under Harry and a long, bony hand grasp Harry's slick throat. He couldn't breath, couldn't speak, couldn't even make a single thought. All that was going through Harry was the hope that Sebastian would be able to save Leslie.

  And that his death would be quick. 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the numbers of magical children coming up missing, or dead, Harry Potter is asked to step in and investigate the prime suspect; Beacon's Mental Hospital. Unfortunately for Harry, nothing ever comes easy. Maybe a patient with the familiarity of a Malfoy named, Leslie Withers, could help in figuring out what is really going on behind the white walls. But Darkness and monster in a white coat has dragged Harry into something deadly and haunting. Now with Detectives Sebastian Castellanos and Joseph Oda, they must fight and rip their way through a decrepit hell in order to make it out alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be gone away this weekend with no internet access so don't expect me to update until either late Monday night when I get back or the next morning. If I can I'll try to keep on writing while I'm away but don't expect anything more than an extra chapter since I'll be busy the whole time I'm away. Thanks for the support and I'll see you when I get back.

  Why does this keep happening to him?

  The darkness was whispering sweet nothings in his ear, Harry could even feel the light brush of air caressing the side of his face.

  It felt. . .nice?

  No, nice wasn't the word.

  Possessive maybe? Close enough.

  "Argh," his muscles were sore everywhere making moving anything a deep ache. "What happened to me?" Green eyes slowly opened to a white ceiling. Nonthreatening as it was Harry still didn't feel safe. Glancing down Harry was shocked to see he wasn't tied or locked down, just resting on a thin mattress. The rest of the room was bare except for a small table with his bag that he had lost back at Beacon and the one door. "Hello?" Calling out hesitantly, not wanting to bring more hell upon himself. "Sebastian? Anyone?"

  The wizard got up, flinching at his aching body. He took a second to look over himself, glad that he was fine; even his magic seemed to be mostly restored. How long had he been out then? Once Harry was sure he wasn't going to fall over he went over to the door and checked to see if it was locked. Unfortunately it was.

  "Shite." Through the small window on the door Harry could see a bit of a decrepit hallway, free from any freaks. "That's better than nothing I guess."

  "Are you sure?" An icy spear struck through Harry's entire body. There was no way anyone could get into this room, but considering everything else that has happened to Harry in the short amount of time he should've known better. Carefully turned around Harry found Ruvik standing next to the small table that his bag still rested on. Ruvik blinked and cocked his head at Harry. "I must confess, I've never encountered someone like you before." There is a reason for that but Harry didn't say that out loud. Ruvik glanced at the small bag and slowly brushed his hand against it. "I'm a man of science you see. I crave discovering the unknown, learning all the facts, but you. . ." He paused and turned back to the wizard. "You take all sense of facts and. . .mold them to your control." Three steps forward and Ruvik was less than a foot away from Harry. "I want, need, to have that power."

  Swallowing his uneasiness, Harry squared his shoulders and faced Ruvik head on. "Well that's too bloody bad. There is no way you can do that. Might as well give up." Ruvik hummed and leaned his face closer to Harry. Every instinct told Harry to run away as fast as he could, but he was trapped and at the mercy to the man before him. Their noses barely brushed, yellow eyes locked onto green, their breaths being shared in the space between them. It was a test.

  Harry refused to back down from a challenge, anyone from the Wizarding World can attest to that fact. It seemed to please Ruvik as he backed away with a smile. The wizard had to force his hands to relax, just now noticing his fingers curling so tight that tiny crescent cuts were opening in his palms. The hooded man took a step back and continued to stare. "I want to know everything about you, my little magician. I want to know how you preform your little tricks. And I want to know what goes on that pretty head of yours." The pale hand reached for Harry again and grasped thick, dark locks of hair. "Open your mind to me. I command it of you."

  It was like when Harry was sixteen and taking lessons from Professor Snape of occlumancy. A feeling of another life force was forcibly pushing its way through his mind and memories. It hurt and it was one of the most violating feeling Harry has ever experienced. He could still hear Snape telling him to fight it back, throw the unwanted presence from his mind and be quick about it! Images for his family, lost and still present, flashed through his mind. The cupboard under the stairs, The first glance of a castle that was still more of a home than anything else in the world. Faces of people Harry met, friends and enemies alike.

  Finally fed up Harry was able to force Ruvik back, and just for good measure, punched him right in his golden eyes. Harry was panting hard and shaking everywhere. He counted that a win for him, no matter what anyone says.

  "Incredible." The man whispered. "A whole world. . .just out of my reach. But maybe when I get out. . ." Harry barely heard anything Ruvik said and got ready for a possible fight. The white hood obscured most of Ruvik's face as he bent over, a tiny drop of blood falling to the floor from the hidden face. In a flash Harry was shoved back into the door with all of Ruvik's body pressed to Harry's as close as he possibly could. "I want you. I will have you."

  "Oh fuck no!" Harry roared and brought his leg up enough to give the man a good kick to his exposed chest. When Ruvik stumbled back again Harry quickly summoned his bag and turned to the door. "Accio, bag! Alohomora!" The door opened with a slam and Harry was gone with the wind, not looking back once. He needed to find someone fast, preferably Sebastian or Leslie. Harry's long legs took him down the hall, dogging broken furniture and stones along the way. After taking many turns Harry felt safe enough to whip out his wand and used the point-me spell. "Find Sebastian Castellanos." His wand spun his his palm in circles a few times, Harry practically praying it would work. Seconds went by then it settled in a direction. Heading out and making a right, Harry left to find new his friend.

 

* * *

 

 

  Harry felt he was getting close when the sounds of groans and screams echoed from a distance, the same distance that Sebastian was in. That spelled out something bad so Harry sped up. Making a few turns and slicing at any monster that got in Harry's way he reached double doors and kicked them in. The scene below him was a mess. Dead and undead were everywhere and a large, glass box was quickly filling up with water with someone still inside it. Scanning the open room Harry found Sebastian taking on several freaks at once while another person was also making shots.

  Not liking the odds, Harry took a deep breath. "Sebastian!" Said man paused and stared up at Harry with pure relief on his face.

  "Harry?! Help us out!" The wizard nodded and jumped over the railing, aiming to land on the large broken slabs of old flooring. He then quickly ran to Sebastian, picking up a stray ax, and burying it on the largest beast. It roared and finally died. The detective passed over the shotgun, "it only has four shots left!"

  Harry nodded and aimed at a woman decaying. Her head blew off with blood spreading out everywhere. Two more shots had to be used to take down one monster that got a little to close for comfort. Deciding to was better to spread out and look for something else to use, since he had one shot left according to Sebastian. Under the stairs he found a box of bullets and a bottle. Running around Harry was able to toss the box over to Sebastian and threw the bottle at a freak that tried to come up behind the man in glasses. Harry received a quick thanks before moving on again.

  It was some time later, everyone being coated in blood and guts, that they made their way to the almost full tank. The woman inside was scared but kept fighting, Harry had to respect that about her. The man in glasses frowned at Sebastian as he tinkered with the mechanics on the side of the tank. "I can't get the thing open. I think there's another control panel around here." The woman was beginning to swim now. "We're running out of time."

  Sebastian looked around quickly before spotting thick wires that connected to the box traveling off somewhere. "Where do these cables go?" Harry pointed to a darker part of the room. "I'll go. Tell me what to do." The detective ran off to follow the line of wires, Harry hot on his heels. Running into the room they found another monster with a fucking lit dynamite. Now alone Harry blasted the things head off his shoulders. Sebastian pulled Harry back and pushed most of his body around the smaller man, protecting him from the blast.

  The next room was filled with monsters locked away in jail-like sections. Sebastian ignored them all and ran straight through, Harry at his side. The way was blocked so after killing another dynamite, wielding thing, dodging the blast, they crawled through a small hole and went around then ran forward and up some stairs.

  They heard the glasses guy giving them commands through a much larger whole when they reached the cable room. "Look at the control panel! It's got the same kind of dials, right?"

  "Yeah, a top one and a bottom one." Sebastian called back.

  "Set the upper dial to. . .twenty-two and the lower dial to five!" The moment was tense as Sebastian did as he was told. The thing beeped and they both turned back outside when they heard something opening followed by rushing water. Harry and Sebastian rushed outside and saw the other guy helping up the soaked woman.

  Sebastian gave a relieved sigh and turned to Harry. A few seconds of silence filtered between the two before the detective broke it. "You're alive. . . How?" Harry shook his head and crossed his arms, his bag swaying on his shoulder.

  "Ruvik. I'm not sure what his game plan is, but he wants me alive. To be honest," Harry paused and rubbed his arm before adjusting his bag. "I'm not sure if I should be grateful or fearful. He knows what I am. . .and he wants it for himself."

  The older man clenched his fists before moving to pull Harry close, hugging the smaller man. "Either way, I'm glad you're alive." A smile played on Harry's lips and hugged Sebastian back, savoring the warmth the large body was giving off. As they pulled away the two heard the others cry out and a explosion happening just after. They broke off and looked back to see a hole in the floor, the others nowhere to be seen "Joseph?! Kidman?!" Ah! That was their names.

  Sebastian jumped down and ran while Harry groaned and did the same thing. "Careful! I don't want to be separated again, Sebastian." The detective paused and waited for Harry to catch up

  Turning back to dark hole, Sebastian called out, "hang on, we're coming!" As they glanced down the two could barely see the bottom. The older man grabbed Harry close and pulled them both over the edge. This man was as crazy as Harry was back when he was a kid at Hogwarts; no wonder his friends got so annoyed with him.

  Grey water and more bodies covered the ground. It took them only a second to realize that they were completely boxed in with no way out. "Oh, fuck."

  "Where did they go?"

  Harry shrugged. "Don't know. There might be a secret passage somewhere though. Let's look around." Both of them walked along the walls, hands touching everything they could reach, searching for anything that could help. Finally, Harry stumbled through a wide crack in a section of the wall. "Shite, found a way out!" Ignoring Sebastian's chuckle, they continued on. Fighting their way through groups of monsters. Sebastian was able to find more ammo and a syringe on their was to rescue the others.

  After some time they head a bang in the distance. "Joseph!" Sebastian yelled. They reached a ledge and jumped down even further, wading through waist-high blood once again. "Kidman? You there?" But there was only silence.

  "They most likely were finding an exit. Let's try and catch up, come on." Harry sped up the wading and walked up to an entrance. "They couldn't have gotten that far." He said to himself.

  The same bang sound more of gun shots as they got closer. "Joseph!" As they got closer they found a small group of the human-like creatures crowding against Joseph and Kidman. Sebastian took action and blasted as many as he could until they were all dead.

  "Sebastian!" Kidman called out, sounding relieved.

  Harry checked everything and was satisfied to see everything staying dead. Sebastian walked over to the other two, reloading his gun. "Are you alright?"

  Joseph nodded. "We're all right."

  "Just a few bump, we're fine." Kidman answered.

  Joseph then turned to Sebastian and Harry. "Are you alright?" They both nodded. The man in glasses then pointed at Harry. "I remember you from the hospital, Private Investigator Harry Potter, right?"

  The younger man smiled and held out his hand to shake. "Yes. I'm so glad to see you both alive. Sebastian and I had the doctor and Leslie with us before we were separated. Do you remember anything that happened?"

  The other man adjusted his glasses, a familiar nervous habit that Harry himself preformed thousands of times. It was why he went to contacts when he could. "Not much, to be honest. Seb found me not too long ago in a room. We just found Kidman now." The woman was standing by a locked gate, her back to them.

  "It's good to see you now. More hands means more help." Both detectives nodded at Harry before heading for the only woman.

  "It looks like the door's locked from the other side."

  Joseph nodded to the thick, metal wall. "Sebastian, maybe we can lift this enough for Potter to go under and open it from the other side."

  Harry turned to him and pointed at Kidman. "Why me and not her?"

  "You're smaller." Joseph easily pointed out. Sebastian looked to be biting back a smile so Harry waved a threatening finger at him.

  "Fine, just don't drop the damn thing on me."

  Sebastian nodded. "Alright, we're counting on you." Both men knelt down and got a good enough grip on the bottom part of the wall before slowly lifting it up. Harry got down and when it was high enough, he crawled under and got up. The metal slammed hard on the ground. Harry blinked and went over to the locked gate, confused when he could see a key still in the lock and turned it. It unlocked easily, making Harry concerned. Harry opened it so the other three could pass through and closed it again.

  There was only one hallway so Sebastian stepped forward to lead, Joseph at his right, Harry on the left, and Kidman just behind Joseph and Sebastian.

  "It'd odd, though." Joseph spoke up. "Why would they catch you instead of just killing you?" He addressed Kidman.

  Harry glanced back to see the woman refusing to let anything show on her face. "Maybe he didn't see me as a threat?"

  "Compared to what kind of powers he has," playing the name game with her. "We are no threat to him, altogether. Our lives were threatened, why not you?" Harry questioned. A pulse shook the walls and the ringing started up again. Everyone flinch and clutched at their heads in pain. Suddenly Kidman and Joseph were dragged under the few inches of blood, disappearing from sight withing a few seconds. Harry gripped Sebastian's arm tightly and watched thin, arms reach up from the depths of the blood and grabbed for the both of them. They struggled to rip the bloody hands off of them but it was for nothing as they too were drugged under.

  Darkness surrounded them for a moment until the two dropped roughly onto a new floor. "Oh, fuck. . .Sebastian?" Harry weakly called out.

  "Here. You okay?" The detective called back from a few feet away.

  Harry nodded. "Yeah, landed on my side wrong. I'll be fine." He got up, found the older man, and saw a light shining on a door with the bloody, painted symbol of Beacon. "Isn't that where you go and get lost in the mirror?"

  Looking to where Harry was pointing, Sebastian nodded. "Yeah, it's another one of those doors."  Walking inside, Harry spotted another book but didn't move to take it. Sebastian picked up the book, glanced through it and turned his attention over to the mirror; once again, vanishing from sight. Harry groaned and decided to use the mattress and rested his eyes for a bit, confidant that Sebastian would wake him when he came back.

  When Sebastian came back minutes later he glanced at the sleeping man on the tiny bed with a smile. Harry looked even younger with his face totally relaxed. After moments of debating on waking Harry or not, Sebastian shrugged and adjusted himself to lay next to the wizard. He could use a bit of rest a well so they could be better prepared for whatever comes at then in the future.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the numbers of magical children coming up missing, or dead, Harry Potter is asked to step in and investigate the prime suspect; Beacon's Mental Hospital. Unfortunately for Harry, nothing ever comes easy. Maybe a patient with the familiarity of a Malfoy named, Leslie Withers, could help in figuring out what is really going on behind the white walls. But Darkness and monster in a white coat has dragged Harry into something deadly and haunting. Now with Detectives Sebastian Castellanos and Joseph Oda, they must fight and rip their way through a decrepit hell in order to make it out alive.

 Of all the ways Harry had found himself in an awkward situation, this ran up the top ten. It was all fine and dandy but when he moved to get up Harry realized the hard mattress he fell asleep on was actually a warm body with two, very strong, arms holding him down. Why was it always him?

  It took a little while and some careful wiggling to move out from under Sebastian's hold and stood up, collecting his bag from the floor. Harry then turned around and gently shook the detective awake, already deciding to never mention this experience to anyone again. "Sebastian, get up. We got to keep moving." The man blinked his whiskey eyes opened then let out a wide yawn. It made Harry smile; they were both well rested and now could continue on without much worry. "Come on old man, we got to find the others again."

  Sebastian grumbled but eventually left the bed. "I feel better now. If only we could find a shower." Not touching that subject with a ten foot pole, Harry left the door with the detective. Going from room to room they were able to restock again in nearly everything. When Sebastian found even more green gel but had nowhere else to store it, Harry rolled his eyes and stuffed the jar, along with all the others, in his bag. Now he had to make sure to never lose it. "I'll need those back the next time I find another mirror."

  "Wha?. . .Never mind, don't want to know." Harry shook his head to keep wandering thoughts from popping up and followed Sebastian onward. As time went on, and multiple monsters now dead, they reached a room with a long, silver briefcase. Inside was an intimidating weapon that Harry had never seen before that resembled a crossbow of sorts.

  There was a note inside the briefcase that stated the weapon was something called and Agony Crossbow that could shoot several different kinds of bolts or harpoons at an enemy. "That's badass." Sebastian gripped it was a smile. On the back of the note was instructions on how to make bolts for the crossbow so Harry took that with him. 

  A while later they walked into a new room with a large puddle of blood, not really thinking anything of it by this point. They went to walk past it but a scream pierced the air and the damn spider-like woman was chasing them once again. When Harry got a chance he would turn back at the stalking creature and flick out an, "Incendio." It was clear that the thing hated fire so Harry shot out the spell a few more times as he and Sebastian made their escape. When she finally vanished they relaxed for the moment.

  "Fire seems to work." The detective pointed out.

  "Let's remember that. I get the feeling we're going to be seeing her again at some point."

  She had bashed her way through a chain-linked fence, giving them a chance at freedom. It would be comical any other time but they needed to focus now. When they passed through the doorway faded into a wall, trapping them. It had startled the two but they were undeterred. As they made their way to the other end of the room the same scream and arms broke out in front of them again. "Fuck! Harry-" 

  The wizard already knew what Sebastian had planned. "When she follows us you lead me and I'll fight back! Don't let me fall behind!" Then it was a chase through the winding room. When Harry could he cried out the fire spell, aiming mostly for the flammable containers the monster would run over. Every time she burnt to a crisp the woman would show up somewhere else, usually trying to take a swipe at Sebastian. "I can't keep this up forever!" Harry's magic wasn't draining by any means but he still wanted to preserve his energy for whatever the future throws at them.

  While many more turns Harry ran out of barrels and cursed. The Incendio alone didn't do as near as much damage to the thing like he wanted. But Sebastian grabbed Harry and pulled him up somewhere quickly. "I got an idea! Hold on!" It took them a few tries of running around the heated incinerator but them had finally managed to lure the woman inside, Harry casting a sticking charm on her hands so she couldn't escape, and Sebastian started the machine up. The howls of agony were nearly satisfying as they watched her go up in flames and perish hopefully for good.

  The smell of burnt flesh consumed everything even as they slowly moved out and over to the double doors on the other side of the room. It didn't take long after leaving the room that they entered something new to them. A huge machine with several claw-foot bathtubs circled around it and was connected with thick, black wires. When they got closer the lights flickered on and a ghostly apparition of what looked like Ruvik moved around. "Subject's case history cites developmental delays and indicates issues with communication." His voice reminded Harry of his last encounter with the burned man. "Social cognition, and repetitive behaviors. Signs of synesthesia reported. Genealogy suggests increased susceptibility to external stimuli and pattern adaptiveness."

  That's when Harry realized Ruvik was studying Leslie that was stuck in the bathtub. "He experimented on Leslie."

  "Could you be what I have been searching for all these years?" Ruvik questioned. What was that madman trying to do to the poor boy? "And under my own nose. Unbelievable. There can be no mistake. This one is. . .compatible." The ghost of Ruvik turned something on then Leslie gave a long and painful yell.

  The room shifted and the two were somewhere else. Before them was a giant brain the size of a Hungarian Horntail wrapped in barbed wire and metal stakes prodding from the top. "Oh Merlin's hairy sack! What the hell is that?!" Then it vanished and they were back in the room once again. The tubs that were empty now dumped undead freaks, forcing them to stand and move for the two. It was pretty easy to take then down, especially after having to deal with a woman from hell minutes ago, and took care of them all.

  The machine suddenly whirled and became violently unstable. Sparks flew all around and lights blinded everything it could. Once it exploded Sebastian and Harry were thrown back, flashes of pictures and memories that Harry knew wasn't his own clouded his mind before all went silent.

-

  When Harry opened his eyes he could barely see anything in the dark. The detective was stumbling on his feet so Harry helped to steady him, accidentally making the man to jump and yelp. "Hey, it's okay. Calm down." The detective shook his head a few times and rubbed at his eyes. "Are you all there?" Harry hesitantly asked. It wasn't like Harry never considered that either of them could begin to actually lose their minds and he really didn't want to see that happen with Sebastian.

  Sucking in a deep breath, Sebastian got his bearings together and faced Harry. "Yeah, I'm good. . .so," Sebastian started. "Merlin's hairy sack?"

  With a sigh Harry ran his fingers through his hair. "It's an equivalent to muggle's Jesus Christ."

  "Wait, Merlin was a real guy?" He asked with wide, whiskey eyes.

  With a smirk, Harry nodded. "Yes, Merlin was a real person. But now is not the time for a history lesson. Where are we now?" Looking around they saw they were in a brick walled room with crates and a sink. "How does this keep happening?"

  "I'm not sure. Let's find our way out." Climbing up over a wall they heard the sounds of birds flying around. It seemed they were both thinking they were outside and practically raced up the stairs. When the warmth of the sunlight hit them both they paused to soak it in. It had felt like days since Harry last seen the sun. A light breeze glided through the air, a sense of tranquility filling the space around the two for a few moments. When they had their fill of the sun Harry and Sebastian walked down the dirt path leisurely. Coming around a corner Harry spotted a huge building in the distance that looked to have seen better days. "Same place as the photographs."

  "Photographs? Where?" Harry couldn't remember seeing any picture of old buildings.

  "It was a little while ago. Anyway, this has to mean something. I want to check it out." He seemed to be dodging Harry's question but the wizard didn't care to much to pester the man about it.

  "Check it out, huh? Can't really tell you're a detective at all, Sebastian." Said man playfully glared at Harry over his shoulder and kept walking. Broken slabs of bricks were piled in different spots, the grass snapped under their feet. It would be considered almost pleasant. They soon approached a stone wall with the wooden doors closed and Harry was just waiting for something else to happen. Right on cue, shots were fired on the other side of the wall. They rushed to the doors and pushed them open.

  Sebastian gasped when he spotted someone a bit away and ran as fast as he could to him. Harry blinked stupidly, surprised to see Joseph again. He caught up to them as Sebastian asked his partner, "are you alright?"

  Joseph's face was white with a thin sheen of sweat on his cheeks and forehead. "My head wouldn't stop buzzing. . .it felt like it was about to crack open. But now it's like. . .I'm starting to get use to it."

  Harry's eyes glanced to his bag, knowing very well about the few pain reliever potions he had, wondering if it was a good idea to give Joseph one. Then the man groaned and doubled over in pain, Sebastian growing worried for his friend. Taking a chance, Harry went over and knelt down next to Sebastian and opened his bag to pull out the small vial. "Here, take a sip of this. It's not the best tasting thing in the world but it works to help the pain." 

  At the corner of his eye he could see Sebastian staring at Harry with confusing and appreciation. Joseph eyed the blue colored vial and took a quick glance at the older detective. Sebastian nodded so Joseph to a swig, coughing at the bland flavor, then handed the half empty bottle back to Harry. Seconds later and color was already returning back to his face. "Wow, I. . .the pain is gone." Both Harry and Sebastian smiled.

  Sebastian looked around the grassy area and turned back to Joseph. "You seen Kidman?"

  Shaking his head, "no. Next thing I knew I was here. I must've black out or. . .maybe I turned again-" What? Turned? Before Harry could get some answers the doors they came from were being pounded open with low groans coming from the other side.

  Sebastian took out his shotgun and tossed it over to Harry after the wizard packed his bag away and got up from the ground. "Inside, let's go." Sprinting off they headed towards the building behind them. They climbed the ladders and hopped through empty widows. Joseph stopped and frowned when he saw the door was covered in mechanical bits with red lights.

  "Another one?"

  A bottle was thrown at them, splashing fire wherever it could reach. Sebastian took out his gun and aimed, Harry mimicking him. "Get that thing open!"

  "Working on it. Just give me a little time."

  "Shit." A few creatures stumbled through the windows. "Harry, protect Joseph if those things gets too close."

  Nodding Harry took his first shot at a small man, blowing his head right off. "Got it!" And the wave of monsters came at them continuously. One after another Harry and Sebastian shot and killed those that came at them, sometimes picking up ammo when they would find it. Blood painted the bricks a new red and the fire was beginning to rage almost out of control. Sweat dripped into Harry's eyes from the heat. One of the large freaks tried to run towards Joseph so Harry swung his leg around, throwing him back a couple of feet before blasting his head in two. "Any progress over there?!"

  Sebastian groaned and stomped down on a fallen body's head. "They just keep coming!"

  "Got it! Let's go!" Damn that was a relief. Sebastian ran for the door Joseph managed to open and ran through with his partner and Harry right behind, making sure to take out anything that was still chasing them. The door exploded in fire causing him to smile in sick satisfaction. The next floor had another locked door and Harry damn near began to pull out his hair. "I'll get the trap. You hold them off!"

  "There's twice as many of them now!" Sebastian yelled back as he punched a man that got a little too close.

  "If you've got the time to complain. . ." Harry barked a laugh at the snark. Not all was funny though when the monsters were surrounding faster than before. 

  Not only did they have to still fight off the hoards of these things but now they needed to be careful of falling floor boards that were on fire. Counting the shells Harry had left on him he cursed. "Sebastian! I'm low!"

  "Fuck, me too. Do whatever you need to survive!" Harry knew he was talking about his magic. At the rate they were going, Harry was really considering it. Bodies of men and women fell on to the floor with every killing blow. It was hard for Harry to really think of anything else than needing to survive this. They had gotten this far, Harry couldn't stop now even though he was getting exhausted physically and mentally.

  The smoke choked at Harry's throat, all of his senses were melding together into one big feeling of death hovering over them. After some time the detective mumbled something to himself and whipped out the Agony crossbow and fired a shot that exploded where it landed in the gut of a fat man. It was doing some damage, making Harry feel a bit better about the situation.

  "Sebastian, Potter! Let's go. Looks like we're out!" And they ran through the door at once, all wanting to get away from the fiery hell at once. When they passed large, open doors Sebastian and Joseph rushed to close them just as the creatures were catching up.

  Harry took a breath of fresh air and instantly began to cough harshly. His lungs felt dry and charred, like he had been munching on coals from a fireplace. "Harry, are you alright?" The wizard took a second to get his breathing in order then nodded. "Right. Let's rest for a minute. We can't keep going at this pace."

  Joseph shook his head. "I-I think we've got to get out of this place as fast as we can."

  Sebastian looked over to Harry who waved him off and turned around, still trying to get as much of the smoke out of his lungs. "What about the tower there? We might be able to get a lay on the land." Glancing up, Harry had to admit it might be a good idea. "Anything's got to be better than staying here." 

  They were lucky this place had some boxes of ammo and health kits nearby. Taking all the shotgun shells Harry reloaded and tried to steady his shaky hands. Why couldn't he get a better hold of himself. Harry was not even half as scared when he walked into that forest and faced Voldemort head on, so why was fear dragging him down now? Was he ready to give up already? Just couldn't handle this anymore? Why was Harry allowing himself to be dragged through this nightmarish experience?  

  Just be safe Harry. Come back to your family, promise?  

  I promise.

  That's right. Teddy. Harry couldn't afford to lose the little boy now. 

  With a new resolve, Harry mentally picked himself up and followed the two detectives. More birds flew overhead and the sky was painted in a series of golds and blues. It wasn't long until they found more of the undead walking around and like flipping a switch, hell broke loose again. Joseph was an excellent shot, but it seemed he preferred his long handle ax, swinging it with deadly accuracy. Sebastian, with a better stock of ammo was taking down the freaks just as well. The wizard was quick with the shotgun but also careful as he was still new with the weapon. There were boxes of bullets all over the place so they had an advantage

  A clunk echoed and a group of spears were launching in their direction. "They're shooting from above!" Joseph pointed out.

  "Where?" Harry asked, taking out two more at once.

  "The tower!" He answered.

  Looking up and sure enough there was various metal panels that opened and someone cranked the spear-launching weapon at them. "Oh bloody hell. . ."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the numbers of magical children coming up missing, or dead, Harry Potter is asked to step in and investigate the prime suspect; Beacon's Mental Hospital. Unfortunately for Harry, nothing ever comes easy. Maybe a patient with the familiarity of a Malfoy named, Leslie Withers, could help in figuring out what is really going on behind the white walls. But Darkness and monster in a white coat has dragged Harry into something deadly and haunting. Now with Detectives Sebastian Castellanos and Joseph Oda, they must fight and rip their way through a decrepit hell in order to make it out alive.

  Spears slammed down on the ground next to Harry where he had stood seconds ago. They were at this for the better part of an hour now. The undead were coming at them in every direction and if that wasn't hard enough to deal with, they also had to watch out from raining spears. Sebastian planned out that if Harry and Joseph would watch his back he could take out the monsters at the tower with a sniper riffle that he found. Okay, easy right? 

  Nope.

  "Bloody hell! Joseph, got anything on you?!" Harry had forgotten to count the rounds he used and now as empty with three more freaks coming his way.

  "No. Sebastian, grenade?" What was a grenade?

  The detective paused after taking out another monster at the tower and picked something up and handed it over to Harry. "Don't use this too close to us." Harry shrugged and tossed the stick at a distant group of four and the thing fucking exploded. "Nice shot."

  "Thanks. How many more do you have to get?" Picking up a bottle and throwing it at the closest thing.

  "Just one more. Hang on." It was a good thing that the numbers were getting less with every wave. Maybe some of that Potter luck was finally kicking in now. More spears came down on them so they ran for some coverage, finding more bullets.

  But still no shells for Harry. "Here!" Looking over Harry caught another ax that Joseph tossed his way. "Don't lose that one." Nodding, Harry adjusted his grip and swung it around. This ax was in much better shape than any of the other ones he used before so it didn't break or fall apart as he swiped at anything coming close to them. "Argh!"

  Spinning on the spot Harry saw a monster latching on Joseph, clawing at his neck and chest. Sebastian turned around and pure horror plastered his face. "Joseph! No!"

  Harry cursed and whipped out his wand, angry at himself for not protecting Joseph and letting him get stuck in this situation. "Sectumsempra!" Two halves of a body fell onto the ground. Harry new he was going to have to answer even more questions later but he couldn't bring himself to regret his decision to help the man, even if he had exposed magic to another muggle. Proudfoot was so going to rim him when he gets back.

  It wasn't long until Sebastian took out the last freak at the tower so they made their way around to keep moving. Harry led them forward and passed an arch before stepping close to the door. Before Sebastian and Joseph could catch up the other entries were slammed shut. "What? Harry?!"

  Fuck, this wasn't good. "Sebastian? I'm good, can you find another way?" This was really pissing him off. The doors to the tower swiftly opened and the familiar chainsaw freak came running out again. "Oh fuck me."

  "Harry! What's going on!" Sebastian yelled over the door.

  The wizard dodged and ran in circles to avoid the lumbering thing. "It's the chainsaw fucker! I have nothing on me!" Except magic of course.

  Harry heard the metal doors that were blocking Sebastian and Joseph being banged and kicked hard. "Shit! Harry!" The wizard managed to turn the monster around in a circle, making the beast dizzy, then with all his strength, buried his ax straight down on its' head. The thing roared but still charged at Harry, the ax still in his head. The chainsaw revved, blocking out everything else that could possibly be heard.

  As the sharp teeth of the weapon got took close Harry decided that he had enough, pissed that he was in this scenario, and gave him some distance from the thing before pointing his wand straight at the fat freak. "Confringo!" The first spell coming to mind. Once the light touched the wide chest of the monster it was instantly exploded from the inside out, blood and pieces of flesh thrown on the ground and walls. It paused before falling on its back dead, the chainsaw dying down as well. The doors finally opened and Sebastian and Joseph ran over, stopping when they saw the result of the battle everywhere.

  All was silent for a moment. The detectives stared at Harry with a mix of awe and fear. The wizard swallowed and rubbed the blood from his face and not wanting to see the looks anymore, turned and went for the open door to the tower. There was an elevator inside that looked to be older than dirt and bits of wood everywhere. "Harry?. . ." Sebastian had softly called out but Harry would hear none of it.

  "I think it's broken. Let's go up the stairs." The two followed Harry, picking up anything they could find use for along the way. The next floor up they found a body in the doorway of the elevator, keeping the machine from closing.

  "This is what the hold up was." Joseph pointed out. Sebastian hummed, picked up a match and burned the body. When the door closed all the way then reopened Sebastian, Joseph and Harry walked in, the tension in the air so thick Harry could choke on it. The elevator took them up at a steady pace but it felt like hours to the wizard. When it opened they were higher up with a bridge stretching across from the group. Chunks of stone from the bridge had long since broken off, parts of the slabs shifted under their feet as they walked over them. "You think Kidman is okay?"

  It sounded like Joseph was trying to break the awkward silence. Sebastian took the opportunity. "I don't like that they used her as bait. Almost like someone's toying with us." Joseph nodded and gave a few coughs. "Hang in there. Just a little further." They kept a steady pace over the bridge until a pathetic scream caught their attention before being cut off.

  They could see two monsters decapitating a large man that kind of reminded Harry of his uncle Vernon. Joseph stepped ahead. "There are only two. We can take them."

  "No, that's not-!" But Joseph was already far ahead. Harry and Sebastian went to catch up but a trap that was triggered by Joseph's foot clicked, forcing a bomb to explode. The bridge between Joseph and Harry was suddenly gone. Harry got back up, moving to help Sebastian when he fell back to close to the edge. He could see the two monsters grabbing for the unconscious detective and dragged him away. 

  "Shit, Sebastian. They got your partner."

  That got the older man moving. "Joseph!" While pulling out the rifle, Sebastian took aim and shot the freaks before they could drag Joseph over to the old guillotine. "You okay?!" He called out once Joseph was free.

  It took a moment but the young detective finally stood up. "I'm fine. No need to worry." All three ran to a cliff and the wood walkway that were feet from each other. Joseph reached for a ladder-like structure and lifted it up before dropping it to the spot they were on, giving them access to cross. Sebastian went first, Harry not far behind him. Joseph looked terrible as he stared at Sebastian. "You should have just let them." Harry cocked his head and saw that he was going for Sebastian's gun still in his hand.

  "Huh?" The older man didn't even see it coming. Snatching it as fast as lightning, Joseph pulled the gun to his head. "The hell?!"

   "No, don't!" Harry lifted his hand but the man flinched back. "No!. . . It's just a matter of time." They walked in a short circle between them, Harry not even sure of what to do. "It's better this way-" Then Sebastian tackled his partner.

  "Shite, stop! Come on!" The youngest wrapped his arms around the detective and pulled him away from Joseph with his gun back in his hands,

  When Sebastian stood back up he stared at Joseph with betrayal in his eyes. "What the fuck?!" Joseph was slower on getting back up. When he wouldn't face them Sebastian shook his head and walked off, most likely trying to calm himself down. Harry thought about the situation and moved to stand a few feet from Joseph's side.

  "I thought about it too, you know." He began. The other man turned to look at Harry but the wizard's gaze was at the sea. "It wasn't that long ago either. I have my reasons to make this all end, but you know what? I have my reasons to keep fighting too." Harry faced the slightly taller man and shrugged. "I'm not going to tell you what to do. Just think of what you could lose, or who could lose you. It might help." Joseph blinked and fixed his glasses.

  They went to find Sebastian when a hoard of undead were running up the bridge and to where they were. Not taking any more shit, Harry burning the makeshift ladder that they had crossed with a flick of his wand. That kept the monsters from crossing over to their side. "Convenient," Joseph said to himself.

  Harry rolled his eyes. "Don't get use to it. I can run out too." They went over to Sebastian, who already had gone into fight or flight mode only to settle down once he saw what Harry had done with the monster's only access point.

  "Quick thinking, Harry." He even gave Harry a thumbs up. It made the wizard crack a smile then motion to the crank. Joseph was already on it and in no time at all the gate was opened and they passed through. They seemed to have entered another town that was very similar to the previous town Sebastian and Harry had been in with the Hospice and the doctor. Pass the fence Harry could easily spotted a tall statue of an angel in a market square, stone houses and distance mountains. 

  Passing through the market square the three of them were able to thankfully fill up on items and health kits, and even more green gel; most of it being placed in Harry's bag. After everyone reloaded their weapons and felt more comfortable with the situation the group went to explore the rest of the place.

  On a table not too far away Sebastian found a recorded and motioned for the others to come and listen and pressed the button. " **Father was a stern man. Proud, and I thought intelligent. But he was also pious. A believer**."

  "Ruvik," Harry couldn't help but whisper the name.

  " **Somehow he always supported the church, no matter what the newspapers said. He waved away the allegations as if they were infallible**." The voice continued. " **The wretched, the vermin, the stern. . .all were taken in by that Church. They were promised salvation and eternal life. But there's nothing they could promise that I couldn't take away**." Then it stopped.

  The words were almost meaningless, but they kind of reminded Harry of how Voldemort, or Tom Riddle to be exact, spoke about the muggles at the orphanage he grew up in. Distaste, bored, practically hatred and felt they were below him. This was beginning to be a common occurrence to Harry it would seem.

  Once the group had gotten over the bitter words from Ruvik, they moved on down a path. "I think I smell those things. They might be nearby." Joseph piped up.

  "All I can smell is pretty much dead. What's different to you?" Harry asked.

  Joseph shrugged. "All I can say is there is a distinctive smell of not only death but. . .rot? Can't really describe it."

  Sebastian rubbed his chin in thought. "That's interesting. If you can sense anything else, don't be afraid to speak up." Walking up a set of metal doors, Sebastian opened up and revealed a new area that looked a bit like a cemetery. The younger detective began a coughing fit again, making Harry wish he had something on his to give aid. Once Joseph finished up Sebastian gave him a gentle pat on the back and took a good look around. "Where do you suppose we are?"

  "Looks like a cemetery to me." Harry said.

  Joseph hummed. "More like "when." This architecture seems straight out of the middle ages."

  "Yeah, but there's electricity, elevators," Sebastian pointed out. "This place can't be real."

  "It's like jumbled up memories."

  Harry frowned. "Whose do they belong to though?" Nobody answered that but instead kept on going. There was a slight breeze in the air and more birds flew over ahead without a care in the world. It wasn't long before Joseph was coughing again but with blood dripping from his mouth.

  "Shit," the older detective whispered. He glanced around until he spotted something. "Let's hide out in here for a minute." With his arms carefully wrapped around his partner, Sebastian moved Joseph up to the closest building, Harry following and watching for any attack in their vulnerable state. When they got through the doorway Joseph pulled himself away and pushed against the wall with a strained grunt, dust floating from the impact of him against the wall. 

  The place was clearly old and rundown, not comfortable at all but it would have to do. Harry frowned when Joseph hacked his lungs out a few more times before finally getting air back into him. "Is this what it was like, Seb? After the accident?" The room got colder very quickly.

  "I'll. . .be outside and stand guard." Harry spoke as he made his quick exit, not even caring how pathetic the words sounded in his own ears. One thing was for sure though, Harry wanted no part in that discussion. While the wizard was outside he did go and set out what he said he would do and watched out for any of the undead creatures to come out. There were a few in the distance but they were only wandering aimlessly and were mostly calm so he wasn't to worried with being spotted. 

  Harry kept glancing around, even checked on his magical core, happy it was still mostly fine, and almost became board. Moments went by and the two still seemed to be lost in this own world, their hushed voices occasionally rising but never enough for Harry to hear what their exact words were. When all was quiet Harry went to step back inside, deeming to safe, only to see a flash of white in the distance. Green eyes focused on where Harry saw the bit of color through the trees but came up empty. With a shrug, Harry stepped back inside just as Joseph was standing on his own and Sebastian going through some papers on the table nearby.

  When the detectives saw Harry they shared a look with Sebastian giving the wizard a look. "So, got a plan?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the numbers of magical children coming up missing, or dead, Harry Potter is asked to step in and investigate the prime suspect; Beacon's Mental Hospital. Unfortunately for Harry, nothing ever comes easy. Maybe a patient with the familiarity of a Malfoy named, Leslie Withers, could help in figuring out what is really going on behind the white walls. But Darkness and monster in a white coat has dragged Harry into something deadly and haunting. Now with Detectives Sebastian Castellanos and Joseph Oda, they must fight and rip their way through a decrepit hell in order to make it out alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the short wait, lot track of time and I had honestly forgotten about updating. To make it up this chapter is a little longer than the others. Enjoy.

  As they moved to go back outside Sebastian stopped with a tilt of his head and turned towards Harry. "I'm gonna need that bag for a bit." Their eyes met briefly. "I'll be back in a minute." With a dramatic sigh Harry tossed the bag over to Sebastian as he made his way over to a red, painted door.

  Joseph frowned and looked over to the smaller man. "What is he doing?"

  Harry rubbed his head, "I'm not exactly sure. When Sebastian finds these rooms with mirrors he disappears for a little bit, always coming back a bit stronger than last time." The wizard could see the plain worry on the detective's face and tried to give a reassuring smile. "It's only for a few minutes, he'll be okay."

  Joseph got himself comfortable in a wooden chair and looked to be collecting his thoughts. "I wanted to ask you some questions." Ah, here we go.

  "I understand that you do but there are some things that I just cannot say." Harry quickly added in. He didn't want to start off the conversation with Joseph thinking that Harry would just give him all of his answers.

  The man paused then nodded. "Okay. . .what are you exactly? Seb said you called yourself a. . .wizard."

  Thinking that this was a good way to start off, Harry nodded. "Yes, I'm a wizard. The female term would be witch, by the way."

  "How are you-um, how can you do. . .those things?" The younger man took a second to carefully think over his response. Harry could see that the poor man was still struggling to come to terms with what he saw.

  "It's not something anyone could do. To be honest, only certain people in the world can do what I do; and those people are born with this ability. Magic." The detective blinked, absorbing the information before pressing on.

  Joseph looked like he wanted to start taking notes but refrained himself. Harry was thankful for that. "Why start using your powers now?"

  Leaning against the opposite wall, Harry crossed his arms. "Like everywhere else in the world, we have laws we must abide by and enforce. One of them is the statue of secrecy. This law is in place for both the protection of wizards and muggles." Harry stopped and took in a breath of air. "Preforming magic in front of a muggle is a serious breach and can threaten the safety of our world."

  "What do you mean?" Joseph cut in before Harry could get ahead of himself.

  "All throughout history, people have a habit of attacking and killing what they don't understand and even fear. If normal people, like yourself or Sebastian, became aware of our existence, what do you think would happen?"

  The answer was simple enough. "Fear, hatred, war. . ." Joseph listed off. Harry nodded and waited a moment for that to sink in.

  "I know you're still wary of me," Harry started off after a long moment of silence. "I get that, trust me. But, you have no reason to fear me. I've helped Sebastian and you many times during this whole experience. You can still be uncertain with me, I'm not offended by that, but know that I'm not out to hurt either of you. I'm doing by best to help and survive."

  The detective hummed then relaxed in his seat. All was quiet as the two waited for their friend to come back, the sound of birds chirping filling the silence. A few moments later and Sebastian stepped out from the other room with Harry's back over his shoulder. "Alright, let's head out." 

  Joseph and Harry nodded to the older man, Harry accepting his bag back when Sebastian handed it back over. The sun had moved farther across the sky, indicating that roughly half the day had already gone by. The wind was settling down and the birds were mostly gone now. "There are some small groups of the undead in the distance. I'm pretty sure they will be easy to take care of with we're cautious enough." Harry pointed out.

  Sebastian looked ready to say something when a scream came from the distance. All three paused and Joseph was quick to react. "Hold on a minute. Let me climb up here and see if I can get a look ahead." The younger detective climbed up a small ladder, saving himself when the old metal broke off when he got to the top.

  "You all right?" Both Harry and Sebastian asked.

  Joseph nodded. "Yeah. . ." He gazed to the distance and frowned. "Hey, that's Kidman. Who's that she's with?" Looking down, Joseph spotted something then picked it up. It looked, to Harry, very similar to the sniper that Sebastian has. "Look at what I found. It seems to be in working condition. You two go on ahead and I'll cover you."

  Sebastian nodded and Harry followed him down the path. It wasn't long before they ran into trouble. Other creatures also wielded snipers of their own, forcing the two to duck for cover behind tombstones as Joseph shot them down. As they weaved their way through, Harry used the slicing hex on the bodies that rise from the waters with haunting groans, forcing them back to their graves with Sebastian shooting along with Joseph. The whole situation at this point was more tedious than difficult.

  When they passed through Joseph was able to give the two on the ground some directions to where they needed to go. "Sebastian! That should lead you both out near the path to the church! Keep going, I'll cover you!" Sounded simple enough.

  Harry mumbled to himself, wishing he had a broomstick with him. As the two passed a corner they saw a monster mover over and pulled on a lever. Large, iron doors slide down and a deformed man, that reminded Harry faintly of a smaller version of a troll, roared. The thing picked up a metal club that was as long as Harry was tall and swung at them. "Petrificus Totalus!" Harry shouted. 

  Sebastian didn't take a chance and had already whipped out the crossbow. When the light of the magic struck the towering beast, he was shocked that it only shook himself and roared once again. "What the bloody hell?!" The spell didn't affect it at all.

  While dodging, Sebastian yelled over to Harry, "what was that suppose to do?!" The detective dove and rolled off to the side to avoid a hit aimed at him.

  "It-It was suppose to freeze that thing in place! But it did nothing!" That didn't bode well at all. The thing was getting pissed and went straight for Harry. "Protego!" Harry shouted as the club swung at him, thankfully slapping against the bright barrier. The wizard tried to move around the tall freak but found that he was trapped in a corner and any time he tried to move and slip away the weapon would block his way. Harry was trapped.

  "Hey! Fugly!" Sebastian called out from behind the monster. Harry could see the Agony Crossbow aimed with a sharp bolt locked in place. "Duck, Harry!" As the detective launched the bolt into the chest of the troll-like monster, Harry ducked under the raised club, wincing when he couldn't get away fast enough to dodge the blast. His back burned but the wizard knew he would be fine once he got a chance to look at it later. "Shit, are you alright, Harry?"

  Nodding, Harry moved back and led the both of them to a wider area, only to come across another tall monster who made a grab for the small man. "Oh, fuck off!" Harry yelled as he whipped out the shot gun and aimed for the exposed chest. Going around in circles, and Joseph taking a shot when he could, they eventually took the first one down. Harry couldn't help but cheer, unaware of the other freak that charged up behind him. 

  "Behind you!" Somebody shouted. When Harry turned his whole sight was covered up by the large hands and he was picked up. The grip was near crushing, making tears of pain leak through the corners of his eyes. "Harry!" His smaller body was being swayed back and forth, every nerve igniting and making Harry aware that he would die soon if he couldn't get away. 

  Clawing at the leathery hand holding him still, Harry began to lose focus until a ringing shot pierced the noise and everything became silent. Finally, Harry was dropped into the dirt, the monster came down a few feet from him. Taking in a much air as Harry could, he groaned and rolled over on the ground and watched as Sebastian came over to him. His ears were filled with static and tried to wave the older man off, mumbling that he needed a moment. It took a while before Harry could focus his attention on the detective and gave a strained smile. "I really fucking hate it here."

  The detective chuckled before helping Harry up onto his feet. When they moved to continue on Sebastian cursed. "Shit, a dead end?" Piles of broken rocks and fence blocked their way. Harry was about to blow the whole place up but a quick check over his magic told him that it wouldn't be a good idea. Low on magic and physical energy was never a good mix in a dire situation.

  "I'll look for another route." Joseph pipped up. "Let's meet up by the horse statue there!" Looking back, Sebastian and Harry could see a coffin with two statues of horses at each end.

  It wasn't that far but with how exhausted and beaten up Harry was, it looked like it was a mile away. Sebastian, without a word, wrapped his arm behind Harry's back and carefully held onto his hips, helping the wizard stand. "Can you walk that far?"

  Harry nodded. "Once we get there I can rest up and take something." Glancing up Harry could see the concern for Harry in the whiskey, colored eyes. It brought a smile on his face. "Believe it or not, I've been through worse. I just need a moment to take a break, we all could use one."

    
"That. . .does not make me feel any better." The older man drawled. Harry gave a chuckled and leaned a bit more on him as they slowly walked on.

  Joseph was already writing some notes when they finally made their way over to the statues. "Wait, there was something about a horse in that house back there. Let me see what I wrote." While he was doing that, Harry opened his bag and pulled out a potion, taking a quick swig.

  In a minute, most of the pain was gone and Harry gave a sigh of relief. "How's my back?" He asked Sebastian.

  The detective looked over Harry and hummed. "Looks fine, surprisingly."

  "Good. Thanks for the help."

  Sebastian smiled. "No problem." The younger detective caught their attention when he pulled back a front leg of the horse statue and the coffin began to pull itself back, revealing a staircase. "I guess we go down." Joseph went first, Sebastian following then Harry, the last two men feeling a bit tired and worn down. 

  Then they were blinded by a light.

  Harry brought up his hands and cringed. Just as quick the light came, it faded with Joseph looking around wildly, Sebastian on the ground and Harry up against the wall that they just came through. Seconds went by and Sebastian woke up with a groan. "Are you alright?" Joseph asked.

  Sebastian took Harry's hand to help himself up. "I'm fine, no need to worry about me." Harry rolled his eyes at the two and looked around.

  "I think we're in a catacomb." Harry whispered to himself. The scent of death seemed to be bleeding from the walls all around them. Harry once had to go to Paris and visit it's catacombs when there was a witch illegally preforming necromancy. That was one of Harry's first cases as an auror and it was a bitch to deal with.

  The detectives shared a look and walked in the only direction. The outside light barely let anything show, the moving shadows of hanging bodies gave the wizard the creeps. When he passed one sack it began to move, whimpering sounds emitting from inside. It caused Harry to yell and bounce back into another body, this one thankfully dead and quiet. 

  And wasn't that a fucked up relief. Sebastian pulled Harry closer to him as Joseph flinched back, also disturbed by the poor soul still inside. The older man made a quick decision and moved all of them to the next room, which wasn't any better. Tiny candles barely illuminated the dark room, showing only what they needed to see and not much else. Four slabs, two low and two raised with bodies over each one, filled the room. Their only escape was a closed door and four painted numbers with three of them crossed out next to it.

  Joseph, the brave one, moved on ahead to look at the numbers on the wall. "What do you make of this writing?"

  Sebastian frowned. "Doesn't mean anything to me. Should it?"

  "Hold on a second. I jotted something down earlier. . ." The younger detective started. He pulled out his little book and flipped through the pages. Harry took his time to look around and examine the bags on the slab, sucking in a deep breath when he saw that one bag was significantly smaller than the other three. That was where he lost his stomach.

  "Harry?" A gentle voice called out to the wizard. When Sebastian helped Harry up, he too saw the tiny bag. "Oh god."

  All Harry could think about was Teddy. It was the perfect size and he hated everything in that brief moment. "My godson, Teddy. He's. . .five years old, so small." Harry couldn't help but mumble out. All was silent for a second before Sebastian gently rubbed Harry's shoulder.

  "Just hold on. We'll get out of here soon." Harry nodded to him and forced himself to advert his eyes to something else.

  On the same slab was a painted number seven. Green eyes stared at it before snapping back to the wall Joseph was studying. "Sebastian, look. There is a number here." He pointed then looked at the other slab behind him. "And on this one too. The same ones on the wall."

  Catching on, Sebastian blinked then stepped up to the other two. "Joseph, I think Harry and I have figured this out. What numbers are crossed off?"

  "3, 5, and 9, why?" The other detective asked?

  Sebastian turned to Harry. "I think that the ones with the numbers crossed off need to lowered. That means. . ." The wizard didn't want to hear Sebastian finish that sentence. He moved over to pull on a tall lever, making the body that hung above drop on the stone slab and forcing it lower down. Sebastian did the same for the other one. Turning back to the tiny bag, Harry closed his eyes and pulled on the lever. The rope pulled the small bag into the air, the slab rising as well, and ignored the way it swung ever so gently.

  The way through opened with Joseph stepping up. "I heard something. Let's go." The other two went forward through the open passage, Harry forcing himself to forget about the tiny sack.

 

* * *

 

 

  Standing in front of a fenced cage, Harry felt he had seen all of the grossest things in the world. But this? This was the fucking grossest monster Harry had ever seen. The chained up beast softly made wet noises to itself as it lay in the center of it's cage. Chunks of exposed, pink flesh shined, the only part of fur still on it was it's hindquarters and tail. The mouth was stretched longer with broken teeth sticking out through black gums. Harry could see the two pairs of golden eyes glaring right at the young man, hunger apparent with each eager intake of breath it makes.

  All three of them silently agreed to get the hell out of there as fast as they could. Traveling through the hallway, they neared another door and made their way through almost to the outside when a crash caught their attention. It sounded like metal ripping apart and they all knew what it was that made that sound.

  The gate they reached was locked so Sebastian turned to Joseph. "Can you get it open?" The younger man nodded and quickly went to work. Just as it swung open a wall broke open and the beast from hell roared. They ran but the thing was faster than Harry had ever seen and took out Joseph quickly, kicking him back several feet. The hellhound howled, exposing another mouth on the side of it's neck. Sebastian went for Joseph and Harry stood there, well aware that it's attention was solely on him. As it charged Harry shielded himself with his magic, being thrown back as well but unharmed.

  "Sebastian! Get Joseph out of here! I got this one!" Hiding in the bushes, Harry could barely see it's outline, waiting for the moment to pounce.

  "Are you fucking crazy?!" Sebastian shouted back as he helped his partner up.

  "Probably!" He managed to answer back before the hound charged again. A bit more prepared, Harry brought up a magical shield again and was pushed back. "It's focus is on me! I can deal with this one just get your partner out of here while he's vulnerable!" The leafy bushes shook and Harry was on guard once again, waiting for a chance to strike. He could hear Sebastian cursing but Harry knew that Sebastian would protect Joseph first, especially when he was in this state.

  The hound went for another attack but Harry kept up his defense. The beast growled and moved to changed from one hiding spot to another and Harry saw his chance. "Sectumsempra!" He made a hit! The hound yelped as it's hide received a deep slash on it's exposed side. It went on for several times, dodging and slashing at the hound before it dropped down with a whine. Using this opportunity, Harry ran off to where Sebastian and Joseph were on the other side through the thick gate and squeezed his way into the small gape between the bars, panting like a dog. No pun intended.

  Sebastian gave a relieved sigh but Joseph frowned, pawing at his face. "I dropped my glasses back there." 

  Sebastian blinked. "Fuck. . ."

  Turning around Harry could see the smallest shine of the glasses in the middle of the field. "Oh, fuck that! Accio, Joseph Oda's glasses!" Right between the front legs of the hound, the glasses shimmed on the dirt before flying up and straight for Harry. The hound saw this and chased right after it. Harry had just enough time to grab them before the hellhound crashed into the bars, howling when they wouldn't give. It eventually got board and stumbled off, leaving the three to gasp in sweet relief. "Here," Harry passed the glasses over to Joseph. "You may want to think about getting contacts soon. That's what I did."

  Joseph smiled and took them back. Sebastian raised a brow and looked over Harry. "You wore glasses?"

  Giving a sheepish smile, Harry nodded. "Yeah, an ugly pair too. They kept falling off my face at the worse times so I got sick of it and went to contact instead. One of the best decisions ever." Harry looked behind them and stared at the tall church only a short distance away. "Is this where Kidman went off too?"

  Joseph nodded. "Yeah, she had a boy with her too."

  "Leslie." Sebastian filled in. "Let's go." The place was an ivory color and looked deceivingly peaceful. They went up the steps and walked over to the small door. The inside was beautiful as well; stainglass windows lined the higher walls giving the room an array of colorful lights. The benches were askew and dusty though, making the place looked unused. As they got further into the church Harry could hear disturbed cries. "That sounded close."

  "It's alright, I'm here. Nothing is going to get you." It was Kidman's voice but Harry couldn't tell where it was coming from and Joseph began to cough again. "You have to stay with me. There is no other way." No other sounds came through after that.

  Joseph sat himself on a bench and tried to control his cough. Sebastian moved over to his distressed partner. "Hey, Joseph. You still with me?" He seemed a bit faint and nearly fell over when Sebastian caught him and sat him more straight.

  "Sebastian," the younger detective spoke. "You ever had the urge to just jump. . . When you're on a high place, or the subway just rolls by." Harry felt the hairs on his arms begin to stand up. After this, Joseph was going to really need some good help. "Imagine if you had that urge for a minute straight. Then two minutes. . ." Joseph then trailed off as to get more air in himself.

  The older man shook his head. "You fought it off three times now, Joseph. You're learning to stop it." Joseph only got angry at his words.

  "You're not listening. I'm not worried about stopping it, Seb. I'm worried about not wanting to stop it." He gasped then slowly took off his glasses. "Some part of me wants to turn. I don't know why and I can't reason it away. . . It's deeper than that. It's like instinct, and it's getting stronger." Before Joseph could continue, he flinched in pain and wiggled in his seat. The ear-piercing ringing came again and forced all three of them to flinch and clutch at their heads.

  Sebastian fought it though. "Hold on." Whipping out a syringe, "this might. . ." He plunged it into his partner's arm. Harry hoped for the best and lifted his head in pain and froze. Green eyes widen in fear at the haunting figure standing upon the chandelier, the cold gaze upon the three of them. Sebastian raised his head too and looked to where Harry was gazing, seeing Ruvik as well.

  Raising his arm up, gravity began to fail everything around them. Harry swung his arms around, unused to the new feeling. Sebastian huffed and looked down to Joseph, who was the only one unaffected by the new events. As everything around them floated in the church Harry looked over to the other man then Ruvik. It seemed that he was being pulled forward and away from the other detective. Harry wasn't having any of it.

  "Sebastian!" He called out.

  The detective snapped his head over to Harry, his eyes widening when he saw how far away and close to Ruvik Harry was. "Shit! Harry!" They both moved and kicked their feet, trying to reach and grasp onto each other. Their fingers grazed just before everything stopped. Sebastian yelled as he dropped to the floor and began to vanish from sight while Harry was still strung up in the air.

  "Sebastian! No!" 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the numbers of magical children coming up missing, or dead, Harry Potter is asked to step in and investigate the prime suspect; Beacon's Mental Hospital. Unfortunately for Harry, nothing ever comes easy. Maybe a patient with the familiarity of a Malfoy named, Leslie Withers, could help in figuring out what is really going on behind the white walls. But Darkness and monster in a white coat has dragged Harry into something deadly and haunting. Now with Detectives Sebastian Castellanos and Joseph Oda, they must fight and rip their way through a decrepit hell in order to make it out alive.

  Watching Sebastian helplessly fall right before Harry was heartbreaking. He wasn't sure his friend would live through that, or whatever may come for him afterwards, and the thought stole the air from Harry's lungs. The wizard had only paused in his struggle to reach for the detective and now was doubling his efforts, alone and in the mercy of the derange man, Ruvik.

  Harry's weightless body continued to hover over the ground until it was forced to face the burned man, steady yellow eyes staring right through green. "Harry Potter. . .we meet again." Shivers ran through his small body at the promising undertones in his words. Harry wouldn't escape Ruvik's clutches so easily this time. Ruvik closed his fingers in a fist which made Harry's body move even closer until he was nearly pressed up into a very familiar position. "I've been watching you. Such strength, and loyalty. It's almost. . .endearing."

  Ignoring the embarrassed flush on Harry's cheeks, he snapped back at the other man. "What the hell are you doing to the others?! Leslie? Kidman? Joseph? Sebastian? Answer me!" Ruvik only gave a condescending smirk and slowly raised his fingers to brush the famous scar on his forehead.

  "Hush, I must study you now." Darkness seemed to wash over Harry in a wave and no matter how hard Harry fought it he couldn't stop falling asleep. Harry's last thoughts were towards Sebastian, hoping he could keep going without Harry or Joseph.

 

* * *

 

 

  Thin fingers carted through Harry's hair, a light humming from a woman caught his attention. It reminded him of when he and Hermione were horcrux hunting and when Harry would need to rest, Hermione would always be there to put him to sleep. It was familiar and reassuring, making Harry forget all about the horrors he had experienced recently.

  The nameless tune from the woman eventually stopped, making Harry frown in confusion. "Hermione. . .?" He whispered. His throat ached something fierce and burned from dryness. "Is everything alright?" The words barely managed to get out but still caused some discomfort. In a flash, the fingers in his hair were gone and he was all alone in the taunting silence. Harry's danger senses were going off, something was wrong and he needed to get up but he couldn't understand why. After some time, Harry was able to crack open his eye lids and glance around then he remembered everything.

  In the darkness Harry could barely see anything. A tiny light above him shown he was in a cage of sorts and alone, which doesn't explain the fingers he felt earlier. With all the energy that Harry could muster, he got up onto his elbows and pushed up enough to sit then stand. The ground was mostly clean compared to the area outside the cage which was stained in dirt and blood. There was also the fact that he was hanging about thirty feet in the air. From what Harry could see in his position, there were carvings on the wall of women, a couple more doors and a large box-like structure that hung from chains not too far from Harry.

  "Hello? Is there anyone there?" The silence that followed was almost mocking and Harry wouldn't put it pass Ruvik to be snickering in some dark corner at Harry's confinement. "This is bloody ridiculous!. . . Ruvik! Answer me!"

  "You called?" The voice brushed against the side of his neck. Spinning on the spot Harry saw nothing and frowned hard. "My little magician, still defying me, are you?" He turned again when the warm air kissed the other side of his neck but still found nothing.

  "Stop fucking with me, Ruvik! Show yourself!" It was probably one of the least smartest things to do at the time but Harry was beyond caring at this point of the journey. When he was met with more silence Harry began to relax until two arms shot straight from behind him, one wrapping around his torso, the other reaching up to cover his eyes. Harry fought hard, using every trick he learned to try and break the hold Ruvik had over him, but it was no use.

  While chuckling, Ruvik pressed gently against Harry's back and leaned his head against the offered shoulder. "You think you can make demands of me, my little magician? I'll have to rectify that problem very shortly. That'll be the first to go."

  "Let. Me. Go." Harry demanded just for the sake of it. The body behind him was cold and seemed to slowly suck the warmth right out of him, making his shoulders quiver a bit.

  "Are you cold? I can fix that. . ." Ruvik began then stopped to gaze at the pale stretch of flesh on Harry's neck. Seeing no reason to keep himself from taking what he wanted, Ruvik slowly licked the warm treat, savoring the taste of the sweat and skin.

  Harry was not expecting that. It had startled him enough to make him gasp and buck in Ruvik's hold. "Don't- Stop! Get the fuck off of me!" Throwing his head to one side, Harry snapped it back into Ruvik's with a sick crunch of bones hitting each other. Both Harry and Ruvik cried out in pain, giving Harry just enough time and space to break the hold and pulled out his wand at the man before him. "Impedimenta!"

  Ruvik stumbled and comically fell against the other side of the swinging cage, a little surprised at the turn of events. Soon he turned angry, his hands clenching against the cages' walls and snapped his arm forward at Harry. Before the wizard could retaliate, he was wrapped and captured by ropes of barbed wires that tightly coiled around his arms and legs, blood leaking from where the barbs that dug into his exposed skin. Harry refused to cry out in pain though and bit his lip before dropping to his knees. There was nothing he could do now as the wires crawled over his soft neck and eyes before settling over his mouth.

  Harry was trapped.

  "Now, my little magician, you wait right here. I'll be back soon after the Keeper takes care of sweet, Sebastian. Then we'll move on from there." Stepping closer to the bound wizard, Ruvik knelt down at eye level with the other man and smiled. "Don't wait up for me." Angry, green eyes glared at Ruvik until the man leaned down to lightly brush his cracked lips over the metal, covered mouth of the younger man. Too shocked at the simple action, Harry didn't pay attention as Ruvik disappeared from sight, leaving the wizard to his isolation and pain. 

  Harry began to think up some painful curses to preform on Ruvik then next chance he got.

 

* * *

 

 

  Harry didn't know how long it had been during his time in silence. His muscles cried out for freedom but was denied the relief, his still joints occasionally giving a small snap if Harry moved a small inch. When Harry felt like he might doze off he began to hear small whimpers and louder, heavier foot steps. Harry carefully moved to look over the cage and see what was going on. A thick man, carrying a hammer and a bag stomped through the room, pausing only to look up at the cage Harry was in; looking up being the only description Harry could make since the thing's head was a metal safe with two nobs.

  He blinked but couldn't do anything but watch. The thing continued on towards the hanging stone, box before disappearing from sight. He waited a second when nothing happened and huffed. Several seconds later Harry could hear more foot steps and the stone box slammed down hard with a earth shaking thump.

  Looking over to where Harry heard the other approaching figure, Harry was pleasantly surprised to see Sebastian walking in. Harry gave a yell as loud as he could to catch the man's attention. The detective's head snapped up and his face shifted into one of shock and anger. "Harry?! What the fuck?!" He ran forward more but stayed in Harry's line of sight. "Are you alright?" Harry gave a careful nod, minding the sharp barbs still hugging his neck. "Shit, I can't find a way to get you down." Sebastian got a look on his face and left Harry's line of sight under the cage. After a few seconds of stones and rocks scraping Sebastian mumbled, "it fits."

  The place shook, the cage giving a little swing as well but not enough for Harry to wince in pain. The large doors on the far walls to his right and left slid up and open, dust flying through the air until everything settled.

  "I think I know what I need to do." Sebastian finally spoke up. Once he stepped back into view he looked up at Harry. "I found a stone key, two more and this thing will open and maybe you'll be free. I got to go and find the other two." That means Sebastian would be leaving Harry again. He couldn't help but give an annoyed whimper and it seemed that the detective understood what Harry was saying. "I know you don't want to be alone. But I can't get you down from here like this. I'll try to be as fast as I can, just. . .hang around." Sebastian finished off before sprinting through one of the doors, Harry's muffled affronted cries following the detective until he was gone from sight once again. 

  The wizard got board fairly quickly after that. Harry had faith that Sebastian was strong enough to survive whatever he was going through in the other room. There was the little bit of fear that what Ruvik said earlier could actually happen, but Harry knew how strong the detective was. 

  Sebastian will fight and survive.

  Time went by at a molasses pace. Harry wished that he was better at wordless magic so he could get out of this situation. His wand was still clutched tightly in his hand and he was thankful that Ruvik didn't ever think to take it from him. Even though Harry was beginning to lose feeling in his arms he didn't dare release his death grip on his wand, that is one of the worst things a wizard could do is drop his wand in a hell hole like this. 

  The cage had begun to swing softly even though everything has been silent and still for some time. Harry wondered if it was Ruvik again and tried to look behind himself but found he really couldn't turn his head much. When nothing happened Harry adjusted himself to try and get somewhat comfortable, shifting on his knees and flinching when more of his joints popped. When the wizard was slightly rested against the cage wall he felt the slightest brush of fingers again. Freezing, Harry waited for an attack. The fingers only began to softly pet at his hair and the feminine humming started back up. So he didn't dream that.

  Harry hummed himself, trying to ask who was behind him since it obviously wasn't Ruvik. There was no answer, or the lady didn't know what Harry was trying to say, but she continued on her task. The soft sounds had begun to relax Harry but not enough to make him fall asleep, just enough to be less aware of what was happening around him.

  A little while later and everything began to shake again. Blinking back to awareness, Harry spotted Sebastian stepping out from a different door. Their eyes locked and both smiled. "Hey, I'm still around." He went under the cage again for a few seconds and mumbled, "just one more." Harry hummed and found Sebastian stepping into his line of sight again. "I got to find one more key. Are you okay up there?"

  Harry rolled his eyes and Sebastian smirked. After a quick wave and the detective was off again, this time Harry was a bit more comfortable with Sebastian being gone for a while.

 

* * *

 

 

  Okay, Harry was losing his bloody mind. When Sebastian had come back earlier Harry failed to notice that the mysterious woman had vanished, but as soon as the detective had left the fingers had started up again. He was beyond being comforted and now was just plain annoyed. He tried to grumbled and shove off the wandering hands but the woman would not be deterred. It had worried him a first, a stranger that Harry couldn't see, with Harry as vulnerable as he was at the moment. It wasn't like Harry felt threatened by the petting fingers but after everything else that has tried to kill Harry, he felt he had the right to be concerned.

  The wizard wondered how Sebastian was doing at the moment, if only to take his mind of the presence behind him. It had to be minutes later when a familiar shaking began and the fingers left Harry's hair. Sebastian stepped into view again, a bit more bloody than last time and gave a tired wave to the wizard before walking under Harry's cage. The stone box slowly rose up and Harry was dropped down. 

  "I was right. Hold on Harry, I'll get you out of there." Once Harry was back onto solid ground he felt a little dizzy but stayed awake. Sebastian found a lock and broke it open and stepped up to Harry. "I'm going to try and take the wires off of you. Don't move." Harry grumbled but did as he was told. The detective looked over the smaller man and yanked on a bundle of wires between Harry's shoulder blades and everything released at once.

  With a sigh, Harry dropped his arms and carefully began to move his limbs. "Thanks, Sebastian." The older man smiled and helped Harry up and out of the cage. When they were both free the metal thing faded from view, making the both of them frown. "Bloody hell. . .let's just get out of here and find everybody."

  "Good plan, let's go." The detective led them down through a underground hallway that was under the stone box. It felt good to be able to move after kneeling for so long. They reached a large door that had two, thick bars at the top and bottom that slid away and opened for them. A chill fell over the two as they glanced around the long stretch of walls and multiple metal plates of some sort on the ground. "Careful, I think these are bombs."

  "Fantastic, so just step around them?" Sebastian nodded and pointedly kept a distance from the first bomb. A thumping caught their attention and another door opened to show the safe headed man at the other end. The ceiling shifted and the both of them lifted their heads to see rows of very sharp points. Sebastian took a step back but he got to close to the metal disk and multiple barbed wires flew up and gripped his leg. "Sebastian! Shite!"

  The detective whipped out a knife and sliced at the clinging wires. The ceiling began to lower and Harry didn't hesitate to grab the older man and just threw him back before following as well. The spiked ceiling slamming down seconds later. When the way had become clear again both men looked at each other. "Well, want to try that again?"

  Harry glared at him. "Not in particular, no." Then took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. "Okay, let's do this again." They cautiously moved on forward and got about ten feet in when the door slammed shut behind them and one part of the ceiling followed. They ran as fast as they could, avoiding the glowing red plates on the ground. They barely missed each falling spike as they finally got to the other side safely. The other door closed behind them as well. "Fuck that room." Harry whispered to himself.

  They went on and turned a corner to surprisingly find Leslie locked in a cage of his own but unharmed. "Leslie, you're safe. Where's-?"

  "Kid. . .kid. . ." The boy repeated.

  "Kidman?" Sebastian asked. "Is she here too? Is she alright?" Harry placed a hand on the detective's shoulder when his voice began to raise a bit at the boy.

  "Is she all right?. . . All right. . ." It seemed like they weren't going to get any answers from him.

  "Stand back. We'll get it open." Sebastian looked at the lock on the door before bringing the butt of his gun down and breaking it. Harry instantly stepped up and took the shivering boy into his arms.

  Leslie began to quiet down then. "Hey, you're okay. You're very brave." Harry soothed. Sebastian nodded to Harry and went over to a crank next to another door. "Stay here Leslie." The wizard stepped back only to frown when the pale boy was getting worked up again. He looked around for any threats as Sebastian went to work opening the door. Harry noticed that the floor was littered with safes, like the man had for a head. "What the hell?" Then a mild ringing started up.

  Half expecting Ruvik, Harry threw his head around, eyes searching for the burned man. "No! Wait!" Turning around, the wizard saw that Leslie had ran off. The boy screamed and a heavier door slammed shut, blocking their way to the poor boy. Both Sebastian and Harry sprinted forward and banged on the door. "Leslie! Leslie!!" Neither of them were getting an answer. Harry dropped his head but the detective turned around, his attention on something else.

  "What is it, Sebastian?" Harry dared to ask. He was quiet so Harry looked behind him too, tensing up when the man with a safe head rose from the ground. It slammed a hammer against it's metal head twice and stepped forward towards them. "Oh, fuck. Run."  


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been awhile since my last update. I live in a desert and the heat wave I've gotten here this summer caused a couple of my chickens to pass away. So I've been busy with most of my time making sure the rest are alive and well. Weirdly enough, I had eight babies hatch a couple months ago so that was a blessing.   
>  I have been reading your comments. Thank you for your support. I'll try to get back into updating as much as I can but the heat is still here and I have to make sure all of my chickens are going to be cool and healthy. Thank you and stay cool for the rest of this summer!

  Dashing to the right, the two ran from the approaching figure and searched for an escape. After going around the cage Leslie was locked in a started to get dizzy, Sebastian took a couple shots at the heavy monster, shocking them both when it went down easily enough.   
  
  Harry blinked and scratched at his head. "Bloody hell, that's it?" At the look that Sebastian gave Harry the younger man just shrugged. "I was expecting a much bigger fight than that."  
  
  The older man hummed. "I wouldn't hold my breath." A moment went by and a sound of a stone door slowly opened at the other end of the room caught their attention. Thick, grey smoke leaked through and hung closer to the ground, forcing the two to cough at the sudden smell and uncomfortable burning in their lungs. Turning back to Harry, Sebastian cocked an eyebrow at the smaller man as to say, 'I told you so.'

  Harry rolled his eyes and led them through the newly opened area where the mysterious smoke originated from. The room was strange since it had old pipes that stretched over everywhere but the walls were made of stone that looked to be carved in for bodies to lie. The detective ran ahead and found a wheel attached to a thicker section of metal and began to turn it.

  The wizard noticed that the smoke didn't seem as heavy, which gave him a perfect chance to witness another safe-faced man rise from the ground. "Shite, reducto!" The monster stumbled into the wall from the force of the spell behind it.   
  
  Sebastian snapped his head around and whipped out his gun. Another two bullets in it's chest and the thing collapsed to the ground. "We gotta find the other valves! Watch my back!" Harry nodded and suppressed his cough. His guess was that the strange, dark smoke would kill them if they didn't cut off the source of it soon.

  It was hard to navigate around the dark room but they managed to stumble through a round door and locked it behind them. Rounding a corner, and pointedly ignoring the loud pounding on the locked door, they found another wheel and the detective went straight to work.  
  
  Once that one was finished they made to move on but stopped when they watched the monster step into view from the other side of the bars that separated them. Harry flinched and stared as the thing reached up and ripped the metal head from it's own body, bright red blood spurting from the exposed neck, and dropped to the floor. "What the hell?" Sebastian murmured.

  Looking behind themselves they watched a safe lift from the ground as a body began to materializes. "Let's keep moving!"

  "Doesn't this thing stay dead?!"  
  
  Harry had no answer for that. The two moved a distance away enough so that Sebastian could take a couple of clear shots, pleased that it fell to the floor like the others. They moved back through the door they had closed before and began their search. After a few moments the older man spotted something and ran forward.

  Harry could see where the source of the smoke was coming from but the monster had beat them there and proceeded to destroy the wheel until it was mere scraps of metal. They turned back, Harry trying to think of a spell that might fix the broken wheel. Sebastian paused for a second, almost making Harry run right into him, and went straight for a table. "Here! This should work!"

  Green eyes spotted the extra valve sitting on the table that Sebastian pointed out, relief washing over them. As the detective went to collect their prize, Harry aimed his wand and sent a slicing hex at their stalker. Unfortunately, like before with the twin giants they faced with Joseph, his magic hardly did anything to it.

  "What the fuck is going on?" Harry groaned as he dodged the few swipes the safe-headed thing made at him. Two shots rang out quickly enough from behind Harry and it once again fell to the floor. "We can't keep wasting ammo on this thing."

  The older man frowned. "Not much of a choice here. Why is your magic only sometimes working?" Metal scraped the ground as another body rose up.

  "I don't know but we need to get rid of this thing first!" And so they ran off again. The two sprinted off to the source of the smoke, Sebastian attaching the valve and began to turn it as fast as he could. The monster was close and raised it's hammer towards the detective. Not having any of it, Harry summoned a protego just as the deadly weapon came down. The solid metal bounced off the shield with a burst of light that stunned the safe-faced thing for a second.

  Harry felt Sebastian grab him and swiftly pulled them away and took some shots at the stumbling monster. It came as a bit of a surprise when it didn't fall as easily the others did but after a few more shots, blood leaked out and the body dropped heavily to the floor.

  The smoke was gone now but they could tell that the fight was not over yet. Moving on, breathing easier now, they searched for a way to end this nightmare. Harry noticed that they had ended up back where they first started and grew a bit worried that they were trapped for good.

  Running around, and probably looking like idiots, Harry spotted a new way down and pulled Sebastian into the new direction. They found another round door and quickly closed and locked it, knowing that it wouldn't stop the thing from reaching them for very long.

  After they climbed a ladder and paused to take a good look around, a clanging sound caught their attention and a random safe jumped from the ground and latched onto Sebastian's face with shiny tentacles and wires.   
  
  "Fuck!" Harry grabbed the metal edges and pulled as hard as he could, trying to ignore the warm slime that clung to the metal, making it hard for him to get a good grip, just as Sebastian pushed the metal thing away from him. After some time of struggling they were able to pull it off and Harry tossed it to the side where it fell off a small ledge. Turning to the detective, Harry made sure he was alright and helped him up from where he fell back.

  Sebastian narrowed his eyes at something over Harry's shoulder and bolted forward. "Take this!" He pulled down on a lever and a part of the ceiling dropped ontop of the monster with a sickening crunch. They paused, feeling the tense feeling of the fight slowly loosen up and they took careful breaths of air. "Finally. . ."

  Harry groaned and leaned against a wall. "I vote for a short break." Sebastian nodded and moved to lean next to Harry.

  For the moment everything was quiet and at peace, and they soaked it up for what it was worth. "So. . ." Sebastian started. "Your, uh, magic. Is it okay?"

  It was an awkward question but Harry didn't blame the man. "My magic is a bit tired but I don't understand why these things suddenly are unaffected by my spells. They have no magic that I can sense and their are no wards to keep me from using it or else I couldn't be able to do anything." Taking a deep breath and closing his tired eyes in frustration, Harry finished, "I don't know what it means, but now we have to be even more careful."

  He felt the detective shift beside him and felt a strong arm wrap around his shoulders, pulling Harry into his side and held him there for a minute. The ache that the wizard didn't realize was forming in his neck and shoulders stopped to loosen up. "Are you going to be alright?"

  Managing to crack a smile, Harry nodded. "Yeah, it's going to be difficult but I'll be fine." Green eyes opened up and turned to the other man, meeting the whiskey color of his own. "Let's get out of here." Sebastian smiled and gave a nod.

 

* * *

 

  After discovering an underground river, which they followed to find a wide cave, they jumped down a short shaft and moved on. Happy to not find anything living, or undead, walking about to that point.

  Sebastian adjusted the light on his lantern once they came into a wide but dark cave. Echoes of dropping water bounced all around, the smell of mildew and moisture surrounded them. Harry placed a hand on the lit lanturn and lowered it as he watched bodies shuffle in the distance.

  Pointing to the distance, Sebastian got what Harry was motioning to and turned off their light source. The both of them began to crouch and carefully took their time picking them off one at a time to save ammo and their energy since they were still a bit winded from their last extended fight.

  It was lucky that they managed to find enough ammo to feel more comfortable with their situation. They eventually came across a gate that Sebastian was able to open with a crank and careful moved on through the small, unsteady cavern. The rocky ceiling above them would rumble occasionally, bits of rocks and dust falling around them as they kept going.

  After some time they heard a repetitive sound echoed from a distance. The two walked into an open area that had a large drop into darkness with a thin walkway.

  "They're on a timer." Harry flinched and turned to the older man. Sebastian pointed to the wall on their left just as another set of rounds going off, launching harpoons across from them. "We'll have to take our time."

  The younger man scoffed. "I'm not chancing it. It'll be better if I just apparate us across. I can see a perfect spot from here."

  Sebastian frowned. "But your magic, will it be okay?"

  "I'll be a little tired but I haven't been using much of it lately. We'll be fine, I promise." After a second of staring, Sebastian gave a nod and pulled Harry closer to him. The wizard fought a hard blush growing on his cheeks and focused on the spot he wanted to land in. With a loud crack, the two men appeared safely away from the harpoon guns.

  The detective groaned from the unsual feeling, still not being use to it, so Harry waited for him to get some air before they moved on. They walked for a bit and squeezed through a tight section before coming across a strange table set up.   
  
  "I think we're in a mine shaft." The older man remarked.

  Having nothing to base his judgment on, Harry shrugged and carefully looked around. It wasn't like Harry had ever been in a place like this before. Seeing a tape recorder, Harry thought for a second before pressing a button; a familiar, chilling voice brushing over them.

  **"Aberrant brain wave patterns observed in subject numbers 25 and 33, and now again in 55. The one common factor in a case history of dissociative identity disorder. Previous experiments on the prefrontal cortex led to degradation of sense of self, but there were unanticipated results here: suicidal thoughts of alternate personalities exhibited as attacks on the core personality."**

Harry and Sebastian shared a look, none of this sounded good.

  **"A self-consciousness waned, a sort of stasis was achieved. Like two creatures sewn together and forced to live as one, eternally hating the other. Delicious."**

  The recorder stopped with a click and neither of them could repress a shudder. Sebastian rubbed his face with a sigh, "what could he mean by that?"

  What Ruvik was saying sounded a little familiar to Harry. "It. . .it almost sounds like he was studying a way for two lives to live as one. I knew someone who tried that before." Flashed of Quirrell's burnt face and haunting screams rang in his ears. "It didn't work and both of them are dead now." He ended flatly.

  "Fucking hell." The other man groaned and stepped toward their only exit and pulled on the crank. Once opened they realized that they were going to be walking through waist-high, cloudy water. Sebastian turn on his lamp and moved forward with Harry right behind him. Sections of holes above them allowed more water to flow in but they were able to step up onto higher ground.

  They came across one haunting figure with their back to them so Sebastian took it out quickly. As they kept on going, Harry started to believe that the detective was probably right about the place being a mine shaft with the sections of wooden ledges that led to parts of the rocky walls. Parts of it obviously been worn off over time by the markings of it.

  At the other end of the room was a man impaled by rows of spikes on one side of the doorway, dried blood splattered all around the white walls where the spikes prod from. Harry noticed a sheet of paper on the ground, it saying that a man found a key and attempted to open the way but died instead.  
  
  He handed it over to Sebastian to look over it while Harry glanced over the corpse, making sure he was dead for good. When he stepped closer, the body suddenly dropped, spooking Harry enough for him to jump back into Sebastian, causing him to snicker at Harry.

  Blushing again, Harry mumbled, "fuck off." Feet from the body was a slab of stone that looked to be the same thing that was written in the note, one side bloody and the other clean.

  "I guess we know what side is which now." Picking up the slab, and Harry prepared to apparate them out of there if need to, Sebastian placed the square stone key into the open slot. The metal door made a series of noises before falling open easily. With a smirk, Sebastian walked off with Harry keeping an eye out behind them.

  Just as they moved onward the walls around them began to give a steady pulse, as if it was the vein to a beating heart. Harry held onto Sebastian, not chancing to be separated again, while the detective pulled out his rifle just incase. The walls gave one more sounding pulse before everything in sight melted and shifted into a different hallway, the same one from the hospital.

  Carefully stepping forward, mindful of the scattered wheelchairs and debris, Sebastian and Harry ready themselves. The long hallway was barely lit with a evil, orange glow, the widows black with no sign of light to be found outside besides the few lightbulbs above them.

  The closer they got to the end, the lights shifted to a blue hue and led them to a set of doors that were slightly ajar. The two glanced at each other, silently agreeing to move quietly and cautiously, they kept going.

  In the light Harry noticed another person inside that wore a white coat. Sebastian, a lot more comfortable at the sight of someone, went inside. "Doc, what the hell is going on?" Oh, Harry remembered him now, Leslie's doctor.

  "There's no time. I need to figure out how to reverse this if we're going to stop him." In front of Jimenez was a tall machine with several clawfoot bathtubs, much like the one they saw before with the Ruvik memory.

  "Who? This "Ruvik" guy?" Sebastian questioned. "Who the hell is he?"

  "I'm sorry, I have to find this. . ."

  The detective huffed. "We can't help if you leave us in the dark, Doc. And you need us to help you." Something told Harry that reasoning with Jimenez wouldn't be easy.

  With a irritated sigh, the doctor turned to the two at the door. "He- We, were working on a method. How can I explain this?" He paused to ponder before continuing. "It's like linking brains together."

  "Called it." Harry whispered to himself.

  "Sharing everything on a electro-chemical level." He continued, not hearing Harry. "Emotion, memory, perception - everything. Directly. It's unprecedented, the implication on psychology, on pharmaceuticals, on consciousness itself -" He stopped, clearly pleased with himself.

  Sebastian clearly disagreed. "Are you serious? It's a fucking nightmare!"

  "Connecting human minds together is a disaster waiting to happen." Harry cut in. "Two minds alone would fight for dominance until one would cease to exist, let alone multiple at once. Your basically torturing people for your damn science!"

  Jimenez snapped back. "Well I didn't say it was perfect. Especially not with a. . . unstable host."

  "Great, so your research partner is a psychopath, and we're all inside his head."  
  
  The doctor rubbed his nose and turned away. "Not exactly, no. All of us are contributing on some level, but he's the only one with conscious influence."

  The detective stepped closer, Harry opting to keep a distance. "You know how he thinks. What does he want?"

  "Well, it's just a theory, but I'd say he wants us dead."

  Shite.

  "There's more you're not telling us." Harry accused. "I've looked into the information on everyone that worked in Beacon. Nobody is crazy enough for this. Just what are you hiding?"

  The air around them whistled sharply and both Sebastian and Harry stumbled when the ground shifted. Once again, the large brain with wires and sharp stakes loomed over them with hellish red skies. Before either could do anything, a white light flashed, blinding them for a moment then faded away into darkness. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been awhile again. I know and I'm sorry, no real excuse this time except for writers block mostly. And I may have forgotten about this story all together for a bit there. I'm going to try and get back into the habit of writing again. Thanks for the kudos, and I'll be writing soon enough.

  When everything cleared up they were alone and the machine was gone. Sebastian took a quick glance around, "doctor?" But they got no response.

  The wizard frowned and crossed his arms. "Well this sucks." He began to think over what Jimenez had explain before they were interrupted. Somehow they were all investing into making this nightmare, unconsciously. And Ruvik was the only one who was aware enough to really affect it, so how much power did this man really have? It was unnerving to think about.

  "Harry? Are you okay?"

  Being pulled out of his thoughts, Harry hummed. "Yeah, just thinking about what the doctor said."

  Sebastian tilted his head. "What about it?"

  "Jimenez said that we were all contributing to this nightmare meaning that we have been making some unconscious changes as we go." When Harry knew he had Sebastian's full attention he continued. "Isn't strange how we manage to find weapons, ammo and health supplies when we are getting desperate? Or how my magic seems to stop working at different moments?"

  Sebastian paused and stared at Harry with an awe expression. "We've been doing this to ourselves?"

  Harry nodded. "That's my guess. Sometimes I fear that my magic won't be strong enough, or won't even work at all, when facing a new opponent. It's our subconscious reacting around us."

  "Damn. . ." Sebastian stopped, taking in everything Harry said. The moment of silence was long before the detective spoke again. "Okay, so if this isn't real then we should be able to find a way to beat this."

  "Maybe, but it won't be easy. Let's just keep doing what we were doing; finding everyone and getting the bloody hell out of here."

  Sebastian nodded and walked over to the only exit with Harry at his side. As they stepped through the doorway the walls pulsed and a deep grumbling appeared behind them. A horrifying creature made up of other human parts barely stitched together clawed at the ground and gave a predatory howl. Sebastian and Harry didn't even think and instantly broke into a run, the new beast right on their heels.

  Harry's heart raced in his chest with every step he took, forcing himself to go faster than was possible. The walls behind them cracked and broke as the thing was too big for the hallway and repeatedly crashed into every surface, slowing it down luckily for them and it was just enough that they were able to reach the end with the door slamming closed just at they passed through.

  The two panted roughly, trying to calm their hearts and pull themselves together. Harry glanced around to see they were in a office of sorts. "Where are we now?" The room was barely lit and kind of reminded Harry of the waiting room back at the precinct in London, only with none of the hustle of fast bodies moving in and out at the blink of a eye. There was a empty desk, faded seats and wallpaper that surrounded them.  

  Sebastian stopped when he noticed where they were. "This. . .is where I go through the mirror. There's a nurse who helps me. . ." He trailed off when he looked behind them.

  At the other end of the room there was a hooded, shadow figure that forced the room to drop a few degrees in temperature. In a blink of an eye Ruvik appeared right in front of Sebastian. The wizard's heart stopped as their disfigured stalker had gripped the detective tightly and threw an ugly sneer towards Harry.

  "No!" Harry tried to reach the two but darkness overwhelmed his vision and Harry knew no more.

 

* * *

 

 

  There was a heavy pressure on his chest, making it hard for Harry to breath steadily. He found it difficult to move his fingers and open his eyes, as if he was stuck in a body that was not his own and couldn't make anything work.

  Moments that felt like hours drifted by and Harry was finally able to slightly crack his eyes open, flinching away the brightness of the sun.

  Where was he? What was he doing?

  A tiny giggle from a child rang from the distance, catching Harry's attention. He was surrounded by what looked like a field of sunflowers. The stocks seemed to grow on forever, reaching heights that rivaled giants. A easy, cool breeze brushed through the flowers, yellow petals dancing with the sound.

  It's a pretty sight, but why was he here?

  Trying again to use any of his limbs, and coming up short, Harry quickly became winded and felt the need to sleep again. He didn't want to sleep though. Harry understood that something was wrong, something that he needed to fix.

  But what was it?

  There was a shift behind him, footsteps snapping the fallen leaves and dry grass. Harry believed he should feel cautious, scared even, that there was someone coming up behind him and he was defenseless.

  But the sunflowers were so beautiful.

  A blurred figure leaned over Harry, just slightly so he could see an outline of a face. The man was pale with light hair and a thin face. Harry had seen, known, someone like that before.

  Before what, though?

  He managed to work his jaw open, his mouth dry and lips cracked. Harry sucked in a shaky breath, ignoring the wheezing sound that disrupted the silence.

  "Who. . .?"

  The figure tilted his head and stared at Harry intently, as if he was a bug that the blurred figure had never seen before. Harry flinched when his throat swallowed and made some ugly clicking sounds, trying to find his words again.

  "Hel. . .help. . ."

  The figure moved out of sight for a second. Harry blinked, fearing that he had imagined the whole situation but the blurred man came back soon enough. Harry tried to give a smile to only stop when he saw what the man was holding. It danced angrily on the thick, piece of wood that the flaming color feasted on, heat coming off in waves towards Harry prone form.

  Fear slammed into Harry like a bludger, making him short of breath. It didn't matter, as Harry tried to beg and stop the man, the lit torch dropped to his chest, igniting his whole body in bright, agony. A scream tore from his previously noiseless throat. The sounds of Harry's screams filling the air was the last thing he remembered before it all faded away like a bad dream.

 

* * *

 

  With a sharp gasp, Harry launched off the ground with his hands immediately brushing through his chest and face, making everything was alright. Once he was sure he was unharmed Harry figured that he just had a crazy dream.

  The wizard pushed himself off the ground and took a look at his surroundings, noting the large mansion that almost looked like the front of Beacon Hospital. Old, withered trees lined the walls and fence, almost separating the plot of land from the outside world. The sky was dark again and Harry couldn't seem to get the smell of dirt and smoke out of his lungs.

  Harry noticed that he was alone again, and with nothing but his unreliable magic. "Bloody hell. Sebastian? Can you hear me?" He received no response. "I wonder where he is. I guess I'll have to keep moving forward." Looking at his feet, Harry picked up his bag and adjusted his wand in his grip before moving towards to abandoned building.

  The old doors gave a low creak as Harry pushed it open. The air was dry and cold, very comfortable to breath in after the unsettling dream he had moments ago. The wizard stepped inside with a little caution and took note of his surroundings.  With the very little light that shone through the windows, Harry could see a staircase, several paintings on the walls and a few doors. One set of doors in front of him were out of place considering that everything had an old charm to it and these doors looked to be made of the strongest metal with complicated locks.

  Taking a chance, Harry stepped forward and tried to push and pull the large doors, not surprised when it didn't budge an inch. The wizard took a closer look around and noticed that there were three sections of tubes that ran from the door to other parts of the mansion. Heading left, Harry followed the first set of tubes, picking up a long ax he found resting against a wall, and slowly pressed on.

  Harry stepped into a dining room, a few chairs toppled over and one lantern was lit enough to see how empty and lifeless the place was. Taking the only door on the right, the wizard made sure the coast was clear before stepping into the short hallway and avoiding the broken bits of wood and porcelain plates. The end of the hallway was blocked off so Harry opened another door and jumped back when he heard a series of beeps.

  On the other side of the room was one of the metal traps, one that they hadn't seen in awhile, and debated on what to do. Sebastian usually took care of these but since he wasn't here Harry needed to improvise. Spotting a old bottle, Harry picked it up and tossed it right at the glowing machine and ducked behind the wall. It exploded, shaking everything a bit. The wizard frowned in thought, he really shouldn't make so much noise while he was alone; definitely don't want to draw the attention of something unwanted.

  The next room was just as empty, except for the lone dead body on the ground, so Harry swiftly kept going. He passed a few rows of metal shelves with miscellaneous boxes and jars and rounded a corner, freezing when he sees the head of a man and exposed brain on the table.

  "What the fuck is this?" Carefully moving closer, he finds several scattered sheets of paper and another tape player. The exposed brain had a few several metal stakes prodding from the dead organ. The stink of slim and death invaded Harry's personal space, but he knew he needed to get a closer look.

  The tape starts off with someone begging to stop before Ruvik's voice starts up. **"Subject Number 58, test 92A. Electrode placement in M - 33 pain region, ineffective."** Harry glanced over the papers and found the drawn area that Ruvik was talking about. **"Anticipate greater results with stimulation of section F - 7, the "consent" region of the neocortex ."**

  Harry lightly gripped the gears above the brain and shifted it over to the spot that the drawn diagram showed and pressed a small trigger. A long, thin needle sunk into the brain with a soft squelched and looked to be draining the fluid still inside.

  The shift was disgusting so Harry pulled back from the table, and into another body. Two arm wrapped around Harry and with a shout, Harry fought for his freedom. He was able to push himself away and spun on his heels with his ax raised to strike his attacker.

  "Harry!" Blinking, he quickly realized that it was Sebastian. "Hey, sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you."

  Harry groaned and rubbed his face with his other hand. "Fucking hell, Sebastian. . .it's good to see you."

The detective gave a chuckle and looked over to the table Harry was leaning over. "It's that a brain?"

  "Yeah, this machine is connected to the tubes that are attached to the metal doors in the lobby. I had just gotten here, did you hear me call for you outside?"

  Sebastian shook his head. "No, but I saw Doc take Leslie through those doors just as I got here. Did you see them?"   
  
  "No, damn. They must've just missed me." That couldn't have been a coincidence. "Since the beginning, Ruvik had been trying to separate us. Now I believe he's just having fun fucking with us." The snort that Harry got from Sebastian sounded like an agreement. "Let's get going, I think there are two more of these. . .things that were needed to find, now more so with Leslie being alone with that doctor." Harry didn't trust that shady man with the poor boy.   

  Running his hand over his face, Sebastian hummed. Before the older man could speak, weak whispers broke the silence; causing both men to flinch for an attack. Harry could see on the over side of the metal shelf closest to him two pale, thin figures. One was obviously Jimenez but younger, the other was a young, male child with slicked-back hair and a waistcoat.

  _"Is this. . . What did you call it? Your "inner sanctum?"_ Ghost-Jimenez asked the child. _"A research lab of your own. I am most impressed."_

  The child spoke with obvious exhaustion in his voice. _"Why are you back? I didn't give you permission."_

 _"Come now, we're both men of silence,"_ the doctor cut in. _"Men of science are dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. You can show me your experiments. I can show you things. . ."_ Jimenez sounded as if he was luring the boy with candy of sorts, it made Harry uncomfortable to watch. Like knowing someone was about to die right before actually witnessing it.

  _"You wouldn't like them. You'd think they're gross."_ The child shoots back.

  The doctor smiled. _"In science one must do any number of things a lay person may find "disgusting." I've done many things others would consider. . .distasteful."_

  _"You think I'm some kind of monster."_

  _"You concern yourself so much with your appearance. But that mind of yours. . .that's all that matters."_ With those parting words, the spirits vanish, leaving Sebastian and Harry confused and creeped out at the memory that just watched.

  The detective reached for the younger man. "That's Jimenez. . . Is that Ruvik with him?"

  Ruvik? Harry pondered. "That's a good possibility. We'll have to worry about that another time. I want to find Leslie and your partners and find a way to get the hell out of here. Leaning about a psycho's past is not on the "must know" list right now."

  The older man nodded. "Good point, let's get going and open that damn door." 

 


End file.
